Jesus, Our Prophet

Would you take your Bibles for a moment and turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter 2. 1 Timothy chapter 2. Again this morning as we look at some truths about the Lord Jesus, we'll be spending our time in different sections of Scripture and putting them together into a systematic understanding of who Jesus is. But let's begin with 1 Timothy chapter 2. verses 5 and 6.

Hear God's word. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. Let's pray. Father, we're thankful again for your word. Would you please, by your Spirit, minister the truth of the word of God to us. And Lord, through that ministry, we pray that Christ would be exalted in our sight, that we would see Him as He is revealed in the word of God, that we would worship Him, that we would serve Him, that we would obey Him, that we would love Him.

Father exalt Christ today exalt your son our prophet priest and king exalt him in our hearts in Jesus name amen well you know the contract for the National Football League will of course probably in the next few years run its course and then the two sides, the National Football League Players Association and the owners, are going to have to come to the table and they're going to have to negotiate another contract. However, what happens if they cannot come to terms? What happens if they cannot come to any agreement?

Well, what happens then is that the federal government thinks it's so important that we see football that they will send a federal mediator who will stand between the two sides and try to bring them and their intractable views together so that they can come to some kind of an agreement And that mediator will listen to one side and listen to the other and will try to come up with some workable plan that they all agree to so that they can be united in the process of giving us football. That mediator would be important at that point because he's the one that's going to see that the two sides come together. Now, in the ultimate reality, that is in the world of spiritual realities, there are two sides that are even more irreconcilable.

And money is not at stake here. Eternity is at stake. Life is at stake. Everything worth living for is at stake. On the one side are sinners, wicked, unholy, blind rebels, hating God and his law. On the other side is the triune God. holy righteous and just who cannot wink at or pass by our sin how can these two sides be brought together we just read about it right here in first timothy chapter 2 for there is one god and there is one mediator between god and man there's our word a mediator one who stands between us and brings us together the man christ jesus who gave himself as a ransom for all which is the testimony given at the proper time.

God has appointed one, his name is Christ, to be the mediator between God and man. We need a mediator. We need one. We are at odds with God. He is the one who will bring us together. As the mediator, he is called the Christ or the anointed one.

When you see the word Christ, someone has once said, when you see the word Christ, that isn't the last name of Jesus to which you send your mail right Jesus Christ Christ means the anointed one he is anointed in the old testament people were anointed to particular offices in particular or in reality they were anointed to such offices like king they were anointed to the office of priest they were anointed to the office of prophet so when we speak of Jesus as the Christ or anointed one, we must ask, to what roles was he anointed? In reply, one of the historic Baptist confessions, the London Confession of 1689 says this Christ and Christ alone is fitted to be mediator between God and man He is the prophet priest and king of the church of God Christ's threefold offices are necessary for us. Because of our ignorance, we stand in need of his prophetical office.

Because of our estrangement from God and the imperfection of our services at their best, we need his priestly office to reconcile us to God and render us acceptable to him because we have turned away from God and are utterly unable to return to him and also because we need to be rescued and rendered secure from our spiritual adversaries we need his kingly office to convince subdue, draw, sustain, deliver, and preserve us until we finally enter his heavenly kingdom. And so it is that Jesus, as our mediator, occupies, is appointed, is anointed to fulfill those three roles, the roles of prophet, priest, and king. Now last week we saw that Jesus is our priest, that every church that claims the gospel has a priest.

His name is Jesus. He is the one who stands in the place of mediator as a priest. As a priest, he reconciles God and man to one another. Or as the confession says, because of our estrangement from God and the imperfection of our services at their best, we need a priest to reconcile us to God and render us acceptable to him. We saw last week how Jesus, as our priest then, reconciles us to God and renders us acceptable to him and renders all of our service imperfect and corrupt as it is because of Jesus and because he is the priest offering the sacrifice of our works.

God accepts them God accepts them today we want to talk about how is Jesus our prophet how does he fulfill the role of prophet this is one of the offices to which he was anointed now I can say this is as I considered this and thought about this and looked at this the whole New Testament is filled is filled with the idea that Jesus operates as a prophet That he is a prophet. Now, I'm not talking about how Muslims look at Jesus. Muslims look at Jesus as a prophet, but they look at Jesus as a prophet lower than Muhammad. right they don't see him in his true prophetic office but the bible reveals this christ this jesus this anointed one as a priest and a prophet one who reveals god's will one who reveals god to us this is jesus let's examine this morning our savior's role as a prophet all right what was a prophet of God.

Again, turn back to the two primary passages in understanding Jesus, and that's Deuteronomy 18, which you heard in the reading just a few minutes ago as Jake read the Word of God to us. Notice in Deuteronomy 18 that Moses says, verse 15, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers. It is to him you shall listen, just as you desired of the Lord your God at Horeb on the day of the assembly.

So Moses says, there is coming a prophet, a prophet, one from among you, one from us, who will speak to us the will of God all right he will speak to us the will of God you said on that day let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire any more lest I die and the Lord said to me they are right and what they have spoken I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him and whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name I myself will require it of him. A prophet then is one who receives his message from God. But receiving a message of God is not enough to be a prophet.

For example, Nebuchadnezzar got a message from God. Do you remember Daniel chapter 4? He got a message from God that said to him, you're not as great as you think you are. You remember Pharaoh got a message from God that Sarah was Abraham's wife, right? That Sarah was Abraham's wife. Receiving from messages, messages from God is not enough.

He has to be God's messenger, giving the message to God's people. He has to be a specially appointed person by God to give God's message to God's people. Now, it's not just prediction, by the way. I hope you noticed that. Did you notice here? that a prophet is not merely a predictor. If you gather all of what the prophets wrote in the Old Testament, you know what you're going to find?

You're going to find only one-third of what the prophets say talk about the future. Now that may surprise you, because we talk about prophecy all the time as predictions of the future. That's not what an Old Testament, that's not what God's prophets did. They didn't just talk about the future. In fact, notice in this text, notice what it says in verse 18.

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words, that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it. He's going to speak messages from God that we are to obey. and if we don't obey God will require from us a payment for our disobedience you see the prophet isn't just predicting he's bringing the message from God and when you look at prophecy in the Old Testament you will find that two-thirds of what the prophet said were this is what God has said now you obey you're violating the covenant that you made with God be faithful to the covenant This is what God has said.

Now you need to do it. That's primarily the way the prophets worked. So when you read through the prophets in the Old Testament, you will not find very much prediction. Certainly there is some, but most of it are messages from God commanding his people to obey. It is the duty of the prophet to do two things, to reveal God and to reveal God's word and his will. to reveal God and to reveal God's will.

Now, as you read Deuteronomy 18, something should have happened to you As you heard it read by Jake as I read it something should happen Right away in your mind you thinking a prophet What he talking about He's talking about none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn over to Acts chapter 3, very early, very early as the church begins, as it's born at Pentecost, as it begins its journey. in Acts chapter 3 we see this where Peter is Peter and John are going out in the temple area and as he speaks he tells them they've made a great mistake that verse 13 the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate when he had decided to release Him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked for a murder to be granted to you, and you killed the author of life, whom God raised from the dead.

Oh, he says, you've made a great mistake. And then he goes on, look at verse 17, to say to them, And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers but what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets that his Christ would suffer he thus fulfilled repent therefore and turn again that your sins away sins may be blotted out that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord that he may send the Christ the anointed one appointed for you Jesus whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago Moses said The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you.

And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people. This is the prophet predicted in Deuteronomy 18. His name is Jesus. And he says, when you don't listen to him, you are in big trouble. Right? You're in big trouble.

God has appointed Jesus as prophet for you. And here Peter says that Jesus is the paramount fulfillment of the great prophet from Deuteronomy 18 Now listen what about all those other prophets that came From Deuteronomy from Moses all the way up to the coming of Christ the last one right before Jesus being John the Baptist, the prophet of God. What about them?

They're just pointers to the one prophet that was to come. They're the ones who come along and people would listen to them and they say, we've got to listen to him, he's a messenger from God. But he wasn't the prophet. they kept pointing forward until the prophet the one predicted would come in his name is Jesus his disciples already knew that you remember in Luke 24 by the way we're going to go to so many places I may just quote some I may have you turn there but be ready to turn or be ready to listen okay you remember Luke 24 the two disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus and Jesus comes along and says what's wrong with you you're so sad and he goes don't you know we've lost Jesus We've lost Jesus, and here's what they said.

He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. He was a prophet. He was a powerful prophet, they said. They recognized him as a prophet. He functions as a prophet of God. Turn to the book of John.

Turn back one book to the book of John, chapter 12. And as you read these statements about Jesus or statements of Jesus, you find that he lists, if you will, he tells you about the things he says tell us certainly he was a prophet. He was the prophet. John chapter 12, verse 49. For I have not spoken on my own authority. Isn't that what a prophet is supposed to do?

He's not supposed to speak on his own authority, right? He's supposed to speak from God. He's authorized by God. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment, what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.

I am an authorized revealer of the word of God. I am here to reveal God and his word to you, his will. just as the prophets of old Jesus came with a message from God and he communicated that message he was sent from God he is indeed a prophet but unlike the prophets of old there's something noticeably different about him unlike all the other prophets unlike Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and Hosea and Amos and Habakkuk and Haggai and all of the rest of them Elijah and Elisha all the rest of them, there's something different about this prophet. Something that's entirely out of character with the other prophets.

John chapter 1. Turn back a few pages. John chapter 1 verses 1 and 2. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. He's not just bringing a Word.

He is the Word. And what? He is God. You talk about being really accurate with your message. I mean, you know that this is a prophet who's got an accurate message because the messenger of God is God. Same thing in verse 18 of this same chapter.

No one has ever seen God. The only God who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known. He's noticeably different. He came from the very presence of God. He came from the very presence of God and in fact He is God. In fact, Hebrews chapter 1 starts out by saying, you know in former times God spoke through all these prophets and so forth but now he has spoken by one who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being he has spoken by this one finally in this one here's the final prophet here is the one who's been given to reveal God and his will to us God has appointed Jesus as prophet for you if you want to know God if you want to know his will, you run to Jesus.

He's the one who tells you. But how is Jesus your prophet? Now when we look at Jesus' prophetic work, it covers a great deal of time and forms. It covers a wide span of time and forms where Jesus is our prophet. He functioned prophetically even before he arrived. Did you know that?

Did you know that Jesus functioned as a prophet even before he ever arrived? That's what Peter says in 1 Peter chapter 1. Okay, and I warned you, we're going to go to a lot of places, so turn there. And listen, if you're a little slow and you have to use the table of contents, use it. It's good for you to hear the word of God, to read it, to look at it.

1 Peter chapter 1, verse 7. 10. Peter's just talked about this great salvation that we have. He's talked about this salvation that's yet to come, this salvation that we experience now, this love for Jesus. He talks about this imperishable, unfading inheritance that will be ours someday when Jesus returns. And then he says to us in verse 10, concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicated when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories.

It was Jesus working in the prophets. That's why in Deuteronomy 18 there's going to come a prophet. You're going to be looking for him. But before he ever arrives, he's already working through the prophets that are going to come before him. They are still not just pointing to Jesus, they're serving Jesus as the great prophet. Even before he came, the spirit of Christ is in the prophets.

So we can look to the Old Testament to find out what Jesus, to find out that Jesus was already making truth known to us. When we read the Old Testament, we're reading what Jesus wants us to know. Not only was he a prophet before his incarnation, he was a prophet in his incarnation. When Jesus walked this earth, he revealed the person and the will of God.

Just by coming, he is the prophet. That's what we just read in John chapter 1. Turn back to the book of John. That's where we're going to stay here for a few minutes. John chapter 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

He is the Word. The very person of Christ is the Word. He reveals every step that Jesus took in some way revealed his Father. You ever think about that? Every action he took in some way revealed the Father. Something about God.

Everything he said said something about what the Father wanted him to communicate. The message. When Jesus walked this earth, he revealed the person and will of God. He is the Word. He was a prophet, if you will, in his words. We just read it in John chapter 12.

But the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment what to say and what to speak that exactly what a prophet does god gave him a message in his works john chapter 10 look at john chapter 10 verse 38 even though i'm waiting i one of the brothers in our congregation once said to me you go way too fast you need to stop and wait till everybody gets there i said okay so i need to listen to that bit of encouragement we're all there john chapter 10 verse 38 by the way we're going to go to john 14 next i'll give you a heads up john 10 38 even though you do not believe me believe the works that you may know and understand that the father is in me and i am in the father all right if you're not going to listen to my word then let's look at my works they reveal God. Right? They revealed God.

Even in the Old Testament, you know, the prophets' works in some way revealed God. Not like this one, though. But their works revealed God, too. Elisha raising that little boy from the dead. Right? They revealed God in their works as well, but not like this one.

Not like this one. There's no way You could say, well, I don't know. Listen, there's no way anybody could have seen what Jesus did and say, this man is not from God. There's no way. Right? His whole life is prophetic.

We all know John chapter 14, verse 6, don't we? Jesus is talking to his disciples and he says fill in the blank I am the way, the truth and the life I am the truth if you want to know what God thinks look at what Jesus did look at what Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life I am the truth everything about me is truth from God I am the truth you see also and notice the conversation continues Jesus said to him that is to Thomas I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

If you had known me, you would have known my Father. From now on, you do know him, and I have seen, and you have seen him. So what does the prophet do? He reveals God. So what does Jesus say? if you've seen me who have you seen you've seen the father you've seen god but then philip says to him lord show us the father and it is enough for us it's like like i understand why teachers go through agony sometimes right here's jesus i mean he's just told them if you've seen me you've seen the father philip says well show us the father then it's like that's what i would have done i said you flunk but jesus doesn't do that jesus said to him Have I been with you so long and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, show us the Father? If you've seen me, you've seen the Father. He reveals God. So he's a prophet in his incarnation. Just the fact that he was here.

And as God, he just reveals God. God continues his prophetic work through then the apostles. He continues that prophetic work, revealing God and revealing God's will through the man that he sets apart. Chapter 16 of John, beginning in verse 12. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Alright, now let's get a handle on that.

Here's what Jesus is saying. You know what, I've been with you for three years. I've been teaching. I've been telling you these things. But I have a whole lot more to tell you. I'm not done.

I'm not done telling you what you need to know. But you can't handle it right now. So it's going to have to wait. You say, okay, well then what did he do? How did he communicate to them what he wanted them to know? Let's keep reading.

Verse 13. declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine, therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. So, Father has given it to me, I give it to the Spirit, the Spirit gives it to you. Jesus' prophetic work continues in the work of the Apostles.

By the way, please note, this is not a promise for every Christian. in this context when he says, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. Does the Spirit guide all of us into the truth? Yes, he does, but that's not what this is saying. This is saying to the apostles, I've got a whole bunch more to say to you. The three years that I had with you, I haven't told you everything you need to know.

But I will reveal it to you later through the Spirit. And so Jesus continues to reveal God, And Jesus continues to reveal God's will through the apostles who give us what we have. And that's the rest of the New Testament. Did you realize that? The rest of the New Testament is what he's talking about here. I will give you what you need to tell everyone else what I think.

And so Jesus' prophetic work continues in the apostles. And by the way, Jesus continues his prophetic work through the church. How? We declare his word. Do you realize that when I get up here to preach, I am preaching to you the very word of God. Right?

I have no right to come up here and give you my opinions. Okay? I know you know me. I'm not a very opinionated person. but I'm not allowed to give you my opinions I do not occupy this place to tell you what I think I'm here to tell you what God says what Jesus says and if all the words of scripture are from Jesus then his prophetic office continues through the ministry of the proclamation of the word of God.

Now, it's not going to be, have quite the same authority as the apostles. As long as I'm preaching what the apostles said, it's binding on you. My opinion intrudes, you can throw it out. Okay? But this continues. Jesus continues to minister his word and reveal God to us. in his word as it's preached.

The final, the final and most complete prophetic work of Jesus will occur when Jesus returns. Have you thought about that? Jesus' prophetic work continues. What is a prophet do? He reveals God and he reveals God's will. The very last book of the Bible is called what?

Revelation. The Greek word is apocalypse. And apocalypse means to draw back the curtain and to reveal that which is hidden. And so Jesus, and by the way, the book is called The Revelation. Okay? Not Revelations.

It's called The Revelation, referring to the revelation of the glory of Christ. And when Jesus returns, then all barriers for a full knowledge of God and of the truth which Christ spoke will be removed. All barriers will be final, complete revelation of everything that we need to know about God and Jesus. But we'll spend eternity still learning. Nevertheless, all the barriers will be gone to that revelation. so then Jesus is God's prophet a messenger from God with a message from God speaking with the authority of God he is the epitome of a prophet he has been with God and he is God and so he is our prophet why do you need such a prophet? well now if I had asked every one of you to write down a piece of paper I'll bet you would come up with a bunch of different answers but they would all essentially say the same i think they would say the same thing as our confession does because of our ignorance we stand in need of his prophetical office because of our ignorance as believers we have many blind spots we are ignorant because we just don't know oftentimes we're ignorant because sin interferes and we don't want to know at times but then jesus deals with that turn over to colossians for a moment we end in this book alright Colossians chapter 2 Paul, speaking of his ministry, here really starts in chapter 1 verse 24.

He's speaking about his ministry. And he says, with plausible arguments for though I am absent in body yet I am with you in spirit rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ therefore as you receive Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in him rooted and built up in him and established in the faith just as you were taught abounding in thanksgiving see to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit according to human tradition according to the elemental spirits of the world and not according to Christ for in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily and you have been filled in him who is the head of all rule and authority all right so here's what he says we are ignorant because of our minds being deceived by corrupted by and conformed to the prevailing philosophies of this day we are in a constant battle do you not see that listen some of you may be saying okay I'm all right because I don't really like philosophy and I've never read philosophy and I don't really know that much about philosophy so ignorance is bliss wrong when he talks about plausible arguments and and verse in verse four and see to it and that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit in verse eight he's not talking about whether or not you know anything about Descartes, the French philosopher. What he's talking about are the philosophies that are swirling around you all the time and conforming your mind to think like the world to think things like this well you treated me bad I don have to treat you well The kind of philosophy that says look you got to look out for yourself Love yourself The philosophies that are out there constantly swirling and forming a mold that's going to make your mind conform to the thinking around you.

No! We need Jesus because in Him are what? Verse 3. in him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge if you want to know how to live in this world and you want to deal with the ignorance that is in your own mind and you want to know how do i understand these philosophies all around me how do i fight them the answer is that you must love and know christ himself in him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge and by the way if you read the new testament you will always see that all the commands to obey are tied to jesus right you say well wait a minute if all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are in jesus then that's all i need to know how to live a proper life that's it a life that's pleasing to god well how is it how is jesus that okay let's take a real quick survey husbands has jesus told you anything about how you ought to love your your wives sure he has because look at jesus see how he loves that's what you need to be right by the way women has jesus said anything to you about submission sure has look at him in the garden of gethsemane oh father if there's any way i don't want to do this but because you have said it i'm going to do it submission doesn't mean i'm happy skipping all the time saying my husband said it I'll do it sometimes it's hard but boy Jesus knows what it's like doesn't he you have to treasures of wisdom and knowledge about submission in Jesus right what about work does Jesus have anything to say to you about work sure he does you work for him you don't work for your boss Colossians chapter 3 you see everything there is in the scriptures that point to Jesus, and they all do, have something to say, Jesus has it all.

Right? If you want to know how to live, if you want to know what it's like, look at your prophet. He has revealed it. He is the very treasure chest of wisdom and knowledge Some of you here are struggling You struggling with things in your family You struggling at work You struggling in relationships That doesn mean you don need help from other people but what it does mean is look to Jesus and see how He did it.

He reveals in His actions, in His teaching, everything about Him. He shows you how to handle life. He's a prophet from God. And listen, not only believers need him, but unbelievers need him. Look at chapter 1 for a moment. And you who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him.

Our minds are the very control of our rebellion. We don't want to know what God requires of us. Jesus comes along and He shows you the rebellion of your mind and says, I have the answer. You submit your mind to the commands of God which I give you and you will find great joy. you see all of us are ignorant all of us need the prophetic office of jesus do you want to know god and do you want to know his will then you must know jesus god has appointed him as a prophet part of his part of the fact that he's a mediator says he not only mediates us as a priest but he mediates as a prophet and he He says to us, here's what God says.

Here's what you must do. Here's what you must be. Here's how you must think. You see, we need him. Without him, we truly are in the darkness. And so God, in his great mercy, has given us a Savior who's not just a priest, but a prophet as well.

God help us to listen to him let's pray Father would you impress upon us this day that Jesus reveals us you and he reveals to us your will and he comes with your authority would you help us then to listen to him to explore this person of Jesus to to know our savior not just to know about him but to know him and by knowing him knowing you father too often we're like Philip we've we know what you tell us we we hear it and then we turn around and say what do you want us to do father help us to be attentive to the to the voice of this prophet the one that you raised up like moses who gives us the final word from god father grant us the ears to hear and the heart to obey we'll thank you in jesus name amen