WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.580 This, the first sermon in the Advent season of 00:00:03.580 --> 00:00:07.740 2025, we're going to look today at Jesus the 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:12.339 prophet, Old Testament prophecies of Jesus and 00:00:12.339 --> 00:00:16.859 how they were fulfilled. Our texts are from Deuteronomy 00:00:16.859 --> 00:00:20.960 chapter 18, verse 15 through 18, and then Malachi 00:00:20.960 --> 00:00:24.449 chapter 3 and verse 1. Hear the word of the Lord 00:00:24.449 --> 00:00:28.129 from the book of Deuteronomy in chapter 18 and 00:00:28.129 --> 00:00:32.590 verse 15. The Lord your God will raise up for 00:00:32.590 --> 00:00:37.469 you a prophet like me from your midst, from the 00:00:37.469 --> 00:00:40.670 brethren, from your brethren. Him you shall hear 00:00:40.670 --> 00:00:44.609 according to all you desired of the Lord your 00:00:44.609 --> 00:00:47.270 God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, 00:00:47.799 --> 00:00:50.280 Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my 00:00:50.280 --> 00:00:53.439 God, nor let me see this great fire any more, 00:00:53.539 --> 00:00:57.119 lest I die. And the Lord said to me, What they 00:00:57.119 --> 00:01:00.340 have spoken is good. I will raise up for them 00:01:00.340 --> 00:01:04.159 a prophet like you from among their brethren, 00:01:04.340 --> 00:01:07.739 and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall 00:01:07.739 --> 00:01:11.980 speak to them all that I command them. And then 00:01:11.980 --> 00:01:16.079 over in the book of Malachi, in chapter 3, verse 00:01:16.079 --> 00:01:21.560 1. We have here this prophecy first of John the 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:24.799 Baptist, who is a messenger, and then of Jesus, 00:01:24.879 --> 00:01:28.640 who is the messenger of the covenant. Behold, 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:32.920 I send my messenger and he will prepare the way 00:01:32.920 --> 00:01:37.280 before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly 00:01:37.280 --> 00:01:41.079 come to his temple. Even the messenger of the 00:01:41.079 --> 00:01:45.180 covenant in whom you delight. Behold, he is coming, 00:01:45.420 --> 00:01:49.599 says the Lord. Let's ask the Lord's blessing 00:01:49.599 --> 00:01:52.409 on this time together. Father, we praise you 00:01:52.409 --> 00:01:55.290 and we give you thanks. It is a blessing to gather 00:01:55.290 --> 00:01:58.129 together, Lord, and to open up your word. And 00:01:58.129 --> 00:02:01.069 I pray, Father, that as it is preached today, 00:02:01.170 --> 00:02:03.590 you would give me the power of the Holy Spirit 00:02:03.590 --> 00:02:06.650 that I might speak words that are approved by 00:02:06.650 --> 00:02:09.250 you. And we pray that you would open our ears, 00:02:09.469 --> 00:02:12.530 Lord, that we might hear and understand again 00:02:12.530 --> 00:02:15.270 by the power of the Holy Spirit. We ask this 00:02:15.270 --> 00:02:20.340 in Jesus' name. Amen. It is with great joy and 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:22.840 anticipation that we have come to the time of 00:02:22.840 --> 00:02:26.759 Advent and Christmas. It's a time of remembering 00:02:26.759 --> 00:02:30.879 the longing for the Messiah and of rejoicing 00:02:30.879 --> 00:02:35.219 in the good news that Christ has come anew and 00:02:35.219 --> 00:02:38.580 afresh and of looking forward to the second coming 00:02:38.580 --> 00:02:42.060 of Christ. Now this is the beginning of the church 00:02:42.060 --> 00:02:45.879 calendar that revolves around the life of Christ. 00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:50.430 It rehearses salvation history and it shows the 00:02:50.430 --> 00:02:54.889 sacredness of time. And this has been done for 00:02:54.889 --> 00:02:58.460 most of church history. We're not making up things 00:02:58.460 --> 00:03:01.460 as we go along, but we are partakers of the church 00:03:01.460 --> 00:03:05.439 Catholic. That is, the church universal has set 00:03:05.439 --> 00:03:08.400 this in order for many, many generations. And 00:03:08.400 --> 00:03:10.520 if you want more information on this and how 00:03:10.520 --> 00:03:12.979 the dates were set, let me know. I have some 00:03:12.979 --> 00:03:15.860 good articles that explain this, and I can give 00:03:15.860 --> 00:03:19.400 them to you. Glenn Sunshine explains it in this 00:03:19.400 --> 00:03:22.120 way. He says, Advent is the beginning of the 00:03:22.120 --> 00:03:25.509 church year. As we look at its structure, we 00:03:25.509 --> 00:03:28.849 discover that it tells the story of salvation 00:03:28.849 --> 00:03:32.990 history. Advent is the time prior to Christ, 00:03:33.169 --> 00:03:36.509 when God's people were waiting for his coming. 00:03:36.590 --> 00:03:39.949 And then we celebrate his birth, and with Epiphany, 00:03:39.949 --> 00:03:42.789 his baptism, and the beginning of his ministry. 00:03:43.550 --> 00:03:46.530 The focus on Christ's ministry continues through 00:03:46.530 --> 00:03:50.110 the events of Holy Week and Easter. And we then 00:03:50.110 --> 00:03:53.969 celebrate Ascension and Pentecost, the birth 00:03:53.969 --> 00:03:56.210 of the church and the coming of the Holy Spirit. 00:03:56.490 --> 00:03:58.949 And the rest of the year up until the final Sunday 00:03:58.949 --> 00:04:03.310 before Advent reminds us of the history of Christ's 00:04:03.310 --> 00:04:07.030 church. And this today calls for both longing 00:04:07.030 --> 00:04:15.770 and rejoicing. of feasting, of songs or plays, 00:04:15.990 --> 00:04:19.430 of Advent readings and Advent calendars, lots 00:04:19.430 --> 00:04:22.750 of chocolate and fancy desserts, but also repentance 00:04:22.750 --> 00:04:26.449 from sin and glad hearts filled with the Holy 00:04:26.449 --> 00:04:30.110 Spirit, amazement that God would become flesh 00:04:30.110 --> 00:04:33.189 and would dwell among us and that he would create 00:04:33.189 --> 00:04:36.029 a new heaven and a new earth wherein righteousness 00:04:36.029 --> 00:04:39.930 dwells, a place where wrongs are made right. 00:04:40.430 --> 00:04:43.810 And where we experience peace and goodwill. And 00:04:43.810 --> 00:04:47.589 yet we long for a greater expansion of that peace 00:04:47.589 --> 00:04:53.230 and goodwill. Therein comes the longing in that 00:04:53.230 --> 00:04:56.410 we do not yet see all in submission to Christ. 00:04:56.709 --> 00:05:01.680 We see around us such conflict. such hatred and 00:05:01.680 --> 00:05:05.939 animosity, the despising of kith and kin, even 00:05:05.939 --> 00:05:09.459 some working for the destruction of their own 00:05:09.459 --> 00:05:13.600 communities or cities and country. Sometimes 00:05:13.600 --> 00:05:18.000 we, like Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, look around 00:05:18.000 --> 00:05:22.220 us and say, there is no peace on earth, I said, 00:05:22.379 --> 00:05:26.699 for hate is strong and mocks the song of peace 00:05:26.699 --> 00:05:30.639 on earth, goodwill to men. Advent and Christmas 00:05:30.639 --> 00:05:36.160 remind us that God is not dead, nor does he sleep. 00:05:36.259 --> 00:05:40.220 The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. With 00:05:40.220 --> 00:05:45.040 peace on earth, goodwill to men. And so in confidence, 00:05:45.339 --> 00:05:49.180 and yes, with great rejoicing, we rejoice and 00:05:49.180 --> 00:05:52.639 celebrate that. Jesus has come. The world is 00:05:52.639 --> 00:05:55.360 being made new. For Christ was not only born, 00:05:55.480 --> 00:05:58.420 but he has accomplished salvation through his 00:05:58.420 --> 00:06:01.819 suffering, his burial, or his death and burial, 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:04.500 and then the resurrection and the ascension. 00:06:04.639 --> 00:06:08.079 And he is now seated at the right hand of God 00:06:08.079 --> 00:06:11.620 the Father. And there he will remain and he will 00:06:11.620 --> 00:06:16.040 reign until his enemies submit to him. That is, 00:06:16.040 --> 00:06:20.730 that they are put under his footstool. And at 00:06:20.730 --> 00:06:24.769 that right hand, Christ is now making intercession 00:06:24.769 --> 00:06:29.910 for you and me. For every believer, Christ at 00:06:29.910 --> 00:06:33.069 the right hand of the Father is making intercession 00:06:33.069 --> 00:06:39.129 for us. The good news of the gospel is going 00:06:39.129 --> 00:06:42.290 out throughout all the world. And the promise 00:06:42.290 --> 00:06:45.149 will be fulfilled that the kingdom of Christ 00:06:45.149 --> 00:06:48.189 will cover the earth as the waters cover the 00:06:48.189 --> 00:06:52.389 sea. and that the earth will be filled with worshipers 00:06:52.389 --> 00:06:57.750 of him, the worshipers of the triune God. This 00:06:57.750 --> 00:07:02.410 great work of redemption begins with an angel 00:07:02.410 --> 00:07:07.209 appearing to a humble girl named Mary, who became 00:07:07.209 --> 00:07:10.509 pregnant through the overshadowing of the Holy 00:07:10.509 --> 00:07:14.810 Spirit. This was followed by his birth in a lowly 00:07:14.810 --> 00:07:18.839 manger in Bethlehem. In this time of Advent, 00:07:19.040 --> 00:07:23.180 all of this is why we both on one hand look for 00:07:23.180 --> 00:07:27.360 a great manifestation of his kingdom and we long 00:07:27.360 --> 00:07:31.199 for it. And at the same time, we greatly rejoice 00:07:31.199 --> 00:07:34.519 and celebrate with singing, with feasting and 00:07:34.519 --> 00:07:37.560 giving gifts to one another. For the Sundays 00:07:37.560 --> 00:07:40.720 of Advent this year, I plan to look at Old Testament 00:07:40.720 --> 00:07:43.660 prophecies of Jesus and then show their fulfillment 00:07:43.660 --> 00:07:46.949 in him. Now, there are three offices of Christ. 00:07:46.970 --> 00:07:50.209 That is of Jesus as prophet, Jesus as priest, 00:07:50.490 --> 00:07:53.589 and Jesus as king. And I'll focus on these three 00:07:53.589 --> 00:07:57.930 offices today and in the next two Sundays. And 00:07:57.930 --> 00:08:01.170 in these prophecies, I want you all to be gripped, 00:08:01.230 --> 00:08:04.610 not only with the fact of Christ's kingship, 00:08:04.649 --> 00:08:08.410 not only with the fact of him being prophet and 00:08:08.410 --> 00:08:12.370 being priest and being king, but I want you to 00:08:12.370 --> 00:08:16.779 be gripped. with the glory of Christ, with his 00:08:16.779 --> 00:08:24.339 beauty and with his majesty. I desire that out 00:08:24.339 --> 00:08:28.240 of these sermons would come to you a greater 00:08:28.240 --> 00:08:32.620 love, more and more of him with all that is in 00:08:32.620 --> 00:08:36.259 you. So today, we want to consider the prophecies 00:08:36.259 --> 00:08:39.379 of Jesus as a prophet and look at their fulfillment 00:08:39.379 --> 00:08:42.639 and what that means for his body, the church. 00:08:43.629 --> 00:08:46.169 So first of all, let me define my terms. Point 00:08:46.169 --> 00:08:52.250 number one, what is a prophet? A prophet is a 00:08:52.250 --> 00:08:56.649 spokesman for God who speaks on behalf of God 00:08:56.649 --> 00:09:02.190 to the people. He reveals the words, the nature, 00:09:02.389 --> 00:09:05.629 the character, and the desires of the Almighty 00:09:05.629 --> 00:09:10.210 to his creation. A prophet was one who moved 00:09:10.210 --> 00:09:13.389 by the Spirit of God and thus... his organ or 00:09:13.389 --> 00:09:16.809 his spokesman, he solemnly declares to men what 00:09:16.809 --> 00:09:20.389 he has received by inspiration, especially concerning 00:09:20.389 --> 00:09:24.009 future events and in particular such as relate 00:09:24.009 --> 00:09:27.350 to the cause and kingdom of God and to human 00:09:27.350 --> 00:09:30.889 salvation. This person was chosen, empowered 00:09:30.889 --> 00:09:33.690 by God. He was commissioned by God to deliver 00:09:33.690 --> 00:09:36.629 the word, the word of God to individuals, to 00:09:36.629 --> 00:09:41.289 kings and to nations. Prophets both foretold, 00:09:41.740 --> 00:09:46.159 And they foretold. That is, they revealed God's 00:09:46.159 --> 00:09:48.779 word in the form of commandments or instruction 00:09:48.779 --> 00:09:53.480 or exhortations. In a way of proclamation. But 00:09:53.480 --> 00:09:59.379 they also foretold. In foretelling, they proclaimed 00:09:59.379 --> 00:10:02.320 God's will. And they called people to repentance, 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:06.480 to justice, and to covenant faithfulness. This 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:09.309 took place both in preaching. to a multitude 00:10:09.309 --> 00:10:12.149 like Ezra, but it also took place individually, 00:10:12.370 --> 00:10:15.850 going directly to a person to tell that person 00:10:15.850 --> 00:10:19.129 what God thought or said about their deeds. For 00:10:19.129 --> 00:10:22.389 example, think of Nathan the prophet coming to 00:10:22.389 --> 00:10:26.009 David after David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba 00:10:26.009 --> 00:10:29.409 and the murder of Uriah, and he speaks to him 00:10:29.409 --> 00:10:32.960 directly, first telling him a story. And then 00:10:32.960 --> 00:10:36.039 when David responds to that story, he drives 00:10:36.039 --> 00:10:38.419 the point home and says, you're the man of this 00:10:38.419 --> 00:10:42.559 story. And David is convicted of his sin and 00:10:42.559 --> 00:10:45.360 he repents before the Lord. And we can read his 00:10:45.360 --> 00:10:50.179 repentance in Psalm 51. That is forth telling. 00:10:51.019 --> 00:10:55.399 But in foretelling, the prophet or the prophetess 00:10:55.399 --> 00:10:57.799 would go to someone and tell them what would 00:10:57.799 --> 00:11:01.350 happen in the future. So, for example, we think 00:11:01.350 --> 00:11:04.409 of Daniel. He goes to Nebuchadnezzar and tells 00:11:04.409 --> 00:11:07.169 him the interpretation of his dream and what 00:11:07.169 --> 00:11:10.350 would happen to the king. We think of Elijah 00:11:10.350 --> 00:11:13.190 who came to King Ahab and he told him there would 00:11:13.190 --> 00:11:16.629 be no dew or rain for three years, 1 Kings 17. 00:11:16.929 --> 00:11:19.929 Or Agabus in the New Testament who prophesied 00:11:19.929 --> 00:11:22.509 about a great famine that would take place in 00:11:22.509 --> 00:11:26.370 Acts 11 verse 28. And later he warned Paul that 00:11:26.370 --> 00:11:28.830 on his return to Jerusalem, he would be bound 00:11:28.830 --> 00:11:31.789 and be delivered into the hands of the Gentiles. 00:11:31.809 --> 00:11:36.039 It's in Acts 21. For examples of prophets, there 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:38.720 are many in the scriptures. There's Abraham, 00:11:38.840 --> 00:11:42.879 was called a prophet. Moses, Samuel, Nathan, 00:11:43.279 --> 00:11:48.679 Elijah, Elisha, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and 00:11:48.679 --> 00:11:52.110 many others. There were also female prophetesses 00:11:52.110 --> 00:11:55.789 like Miriam, the sister of Moses. She's called 00:11:55.789 --> 00:12:00.590 a prophetess in Exodus 15, verse 20 and 21. There's 00:12:00.590 --> 00:12:02.950 Deborah in the book of Judges who revealed the 00:12:02.950 --> 00:12:06.210 word of God to Barak. There's Huldah who spoke 00:12:06.210 --> 00:12:09.710 of the future to aides of King Josiah. And there's 00:12:09.710 --> 00:12:12.830 Anna who gave thanks and spoke of Christ at the 00:12:12.830 --> 00:12:15.730 temple at the time of the circumcision of Christ. 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:18.720 Now, some of the prophets wrote books of the 00:12:18.720 --> 00:12:21.639 Bible, which we see in the books from Daniel 00:12:21.639 --> 00:12:24.820 through Malachi in the Old Testament, quite a 00:12:24.820 --> 00:12:26.600 number of books. There's some that are called 00:12:26.600 --> 00:12:29.139 major prophets, like Isaiah and Jeremiah and 00:12:29.139 --> 00:12:31.620 Ezekiel, and then some called minor prophets, 00:12:31.919 --> 00:12:34.519 and that does not have to do anything with their 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:36.679 importance, but it has to do with the length 00:12:36.679 --> 00:12:39.320 of the book. Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel are 00:12:39.320 --> 00:12:42.039 quite lengthy, and the rest of them, like Micah 00:12:42.039 --> 00:12:45.940 and Nahum and Amos and Zechariah and Zechariah, 00:12:45.929 --> 00:12:49.409 and a whole number of others, their books are 00:12:49.409 --> 00:12:54.190 much shorter. All prophets. But now the prophets 00:12:54.190 --> 00:12:58.470 had to be 100 % accurate. They could not lead 00:12:58.470 --> 00:13:02.049 the people to worship other gods, even if signs 00:13:02.049 --> 00:13:06.690 occurred, Deuteronomy chapter 13. In fact, so... 00:13:07.179 --> 00:13:09.919 Important was this, that if a prophet led to 00:13:09.919 --> 00:13:12.200 other gods, to the worship of other gods, they 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:15.779 were to be put to death, God says in his law. 00:13:16.080 --> 00:13:19.019 And which Elijah did that, if you recall the 00:13:19.019 --> 00:13:23.279 story of over 400 prophets of Baal who gathered 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:26.600 together around the altar on Mount Carmel and 00:13:26.600 --> 00:13:31.320 after... Elijah clearly won that battle there 00:13:31.320 --> 00:13:34.799 and the Lord entered by fire to his prayer. He 00:13:34.799 --> 00:13:37.779 had all of the prophets of Baal slaughtered. 00:13:39.080 --> 00:13:42.220 They were to be put to death. This was very important. 00:13:42.480 --> 00:13:45.159 Now also, God speaks that if there was a false 00:13:45.159 --> 00:13:48.299 prophet who would presume to speak a word in 00:13:48.299 --> 00:13:51.460 God's name, but prophesied falsely, in other 00:13:51.460 --> 00:13:54.159 words, it didn't come to pass, they were to be 00:13:54.159 --> 00:13:57.299 disregarded and God said that they would die. 00:13:57.500 --> 00:14:00.080 And from that, we gather that he probably meant 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:02.539 an early death because we don't necessarily read 00:14:02.539 --> 00:14:04.799 of a civil penalty in the Old Testament about 00:14:04.799 --> 00:14:07.539 it. Now that is subject to some interpretation. 00:14:08.269 --> 00:14:11.149 Now the prophets also studied and searched carefully. 00:14:11.309 --> 00:14:14.409 We read of companies of the prophets in 1 Samuel 00:14:14.409 --> 00:14:18.370 19 and the sons of the prophet who had a place 00:14:18.370 --> 00:14:22.129 where they studied in 2 Kings 2 verse 3. There's 00:14:22.129 --> 00:14:25.590 also Jericho in 2 Kings 2. These were the ones 00:14:25.590 --> 00:14:28.750 who knew about Elijah's departure and acknowledged 00:14:28.750 --> 00:14:33.470 Elijah as his successor. But 1 Peter also says 00:14:33.470 --> 00:14:38.039 that these prophets as that they had the spirit 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:42.360 of Christ as they searched diligently. He says, 00:14:42.519 --> 00:14:46.059 of which salvation the prophets have inquired 00:14:46.059 --> 00:14:48.840 and searched diligently, who prophesied of the 00:14:48.840 --> 00:14:52.200 grace that should come unto you, searching what 00:14:52.200 --> 00:14:54.899 or what manner of time the spirit of Christ, 00:14:55.100 --> 00:14:58.399 which was in them, did signify, when it testified 00:14:58.399 --> 00:15:01.450 beforehand the sufferings of Christ. and the 00:15:01.450 --> 00:15:05.330 glory that should follow. 1 Peter 1, verse 10 00:15:05.330 --> 00:15:09.250 and 11. So just summing this up, a biblical prophet 00:15:09.250 --> 00:15:13.169 is God's authorized spokesperson who confronts 00:15:13.169 --> 00:15:15.929 people with God's word, calls them to repentance 00:15:15.929 --> 00:15:19.870 and obedience, warns of judgment, offers hope 00:15:19.870 --> 00:15:23.149 of restoration, and also, at a number of times, 00:15:23.330 --> 00:15:26.899 reveals future events. So with his background 00:15:26.899 --> 00:15:29.480 and foundation, I now want to turn to see how 00:15:29.480 --> 00:15:32.460 Jesus was predicted to be a prophet and how he 00:15:32.460 --> 00:15:35.580 fulfilled that office. Again, our desire today 00:15:35.580 --> 00:15:40.080 is to magnify Christ, to show his offices, to 00:15:40.080 --> 00:15:43.460 show his glory and his beauty. So we'll begin 00:15:43.460 --> 00:15:46.700 with the prophecy from Moses. Number two, the 00:15:46.700 --> 00:15:50.299 prophecy from Moses about Jesus as prophet. Now, 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:53.659 Moses is the most illustrious and renowned prophet 00:15:53.659 --> 00:15:57.549 in the Old Testament. It is recorded of him in 00:15:57.549 --> 00:16:01.450 Deuteronomy chapter 34 that Joshua the son of 00:16:01.450 --> 00:16:03.509 Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom because 00:16:03.509 --> 00:16:07.509 Moses laid his hands on him. But since Moses, 00:16:07.970 --> 00:16:11.350 there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like 00:16:11.350 --> 00:16:16.590 Moses whom the Lord knew face to face. in all 00:16:16.590 --> 00:16:19.110 the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him 00:16:19.110 --> 00:16:22.990 to do in the land of Egypt, before Pharaoh, before 00:16:22.990 --> 00:16:26.750 all his servants, and in all his land, and by 00:16:26.750 --> 00:16:30.210 all that mighty power and all the great terror 00:16:30.210 --> 00:16:33.649 which Moses performed in the sight of all Israel. 00:16:34.830 --> 00:16:37.269 Through the leadership and the prophetic gifts 00:16:37.269 --> 00:16:40.769 of Moses, he confronted one of the greatest powers 00:16:40.769 --> 00:16:43.809 on earth at that time, the Pharaoh of Egypt. 00:16:44.200 --> 00:16:47.480 Moses was the instrument of God to bring great 00:16:47.480 --> 00:16:50.639 signs and wonders. And he stretched out his staff 00:16:50.639 --> 00:16:54.240 at the command of God to bring down 10 horrific 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:57.740 plagues that not only devastated the land of 00:16:57.740 --> 00:17:01.759 Egypt, but it also showed them the futility of 00:17:01.759 --> 00:17:04.680 their gods. I don't have time to get it in today, 00:17:04.819 --> 00:17:08.700 to go through it today. But each one of those 00:17:08.700 --> 00:17:12.900 plagues attacked a false god of Egypt, a separate 00:17:12.900 --> 00:17:16.049 one. Every one of them. George Grant has an excellent 00:17:16.049 --> 00:17:19.750 lecture on that if you want to hear it. Moses 00:17:19.750 --> 00:17:23.309 led the great exodus out of Egypt and for 40 00:17:23.309 --> 00:17:26.529 years he led and he shepherded the children of 00:17:26.529 --> 00:17:29.269 Israel through the wilderness to the Jordan River, 00:17:29.430 --> 00:17:32.829 which they would then cross after his death and 00:17:32.829 --> 00:17:35.849 conquer the land of Canaan for 40 years. And 00:17:35.849 --> 00:17:39.049 he began when he was 80 years old. He started 00:17:39.049 --> 00:17:42.660 when he was 80. 40 years he lived in Egypt as 00:17:42.660 --> 00:17:45.640 a son of Pharaoh. 40 years he lived in the wilderness. 00:17:45.759 --> 00:17:48.720 And 40 years he led the children of Israel through 00:17:48.720 --> 00:17:53.319 the wilderness. This man. who was a faithful 00:17:53.319 --> 00:17:56.579 leader and prophet, he gave this prophecy in 00:17:56.579 --> 00:17:59.940 Deuteronomy 18. So this is Moses writing by the 00:17:59.940 --> 00:18:02.359 inspiration of the God, which we already read 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:05.000 this verse, but again, he says, the Lord your 00:18:05.000 --> 00:18:09.180 God will raise up for you a prophet like me. 00:18:09.380 --> 00:18:12.539 Moses saying, like me, from your midst, from 00:18:12.539 --> 00:18:16.519 your brethren, him you shall hear according to 00:18:16.519 --> 00:18:18.859 all you desire to the Lord your God in Horeb 00:18:18.859 --> 00:18:22.589 in the day of the assembly. And God confirms 00:18:22.589 --> 00:18:25.630 this because God then responds to Moses. When 00:18:25.630 --> 00:18:29.289 Moses says this, the Lord says, probably in an 00:18:29.289 --> 00:18:32.130 audible voice, he says, what they have spoken 00:18:32.130 --> 00:18:35.390 is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like 00:18:35.390 --> 00:18:38.809 you from among their brethren. And I will put 00:18:38.809 --> 00:18:42.509 my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them 00:18:42.509 --> 00:18:46.700 all that I command him. And it shall be. That 00:18:46.700 --> 00:18:49.759 whoever will not hear my words, which he speaks 00:18:49.759 --> 00:18:54.200 in my name, I will require it of him. This is 00:18:54.200 --> 00:18:57.240 the first and the clearest prophecy of Jesus 00:18:57.240 --> 00:19:01.559 as a prophet in the Old Testament. Like Moses, 00:19:01.839 --> 00:19:05.500 the prophet to come would be a prophet, a king, 00:19:05.759 --> 00:19:08.799 a mediator, and the head or chief of the people 00:19:08.799 --> 00:19:12.640 of God. Moses reveals that Almighty God says, 00:19:12.759 --> 00:19:15.529 I will put my words in his mouth. and he shall 00:19:15.529 --> 00:19:18.450 speak to them all that I command him. And Jesus 00:19:18.450 --> 00:19:21.789 says over and over again in his ministry, all 00:19:21.789 --> 00:19:25.269 that the Father tells me, that do I speak, that 00:19:25.269 --> 00:19:30.230 do I do. I do what the Father says. He communicates 00:19:30.230 --> 00:19:34.509 it to me. Now in the New Testament, this passage, 00:19:34.650 --> 00:19:40.869 this prophecy of the coming prophet is affirmed 00:19:40.869 --> 00:19:43.980 several times. In speaking of Jesus as a prophet. 00:19:44.259 --> 00:19:47.700 It is first of all quoted in Acts chapter 3 and 00:19:47.700 --> 00:19:51.319 verse 22. That is in Peter's sermon at Pentecost. 00:19:51.359 --> 00:19:54.140 And Peter quotes from it directly. Saying this 00:19:54.140 --> 00:19:59.279 Jesus is that prophet. Again in another sermon. 00:20:00.519 --> 00:20:04.039 Stephen's sermon. Which was to his Jewish accusers. 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:07.079 Just before he was put to death. Recorded in 00:20:07.079 --> 00:20:10.519 Acts chapter 7. Stephen also quotes this verse 00:20:10.519 --> 00:20:14.259 directly, that Jesus is that prophet of whom 00:20:14.259 --> 00:20:19.579 Moses prophesied. There are not many others in 00:20:19.579 --> 00:20:22.359 the Old Testament that speak in quite that direct 00:20:22.359 --> 00:20:25.839 way about Jesus being a prophet. But, number 00:20:25.839 --> 00:20:28.619 three, we're going to also consider prophecies 00:20:28.619 --> 00:20:32.380 that speak of certain prophetic gifts that Jesus 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:35.890 would have. There are quite, there are a number 00:20:35.890 --> 00:20:38.049 of these. I'm not going to be able to get through 00:20:38.049 --> 00:20:41.490 them all. And these are prophecies about Jesus 00:20:41.490 --> 00:20:43.750 gifts, the gifts that he would have. And they 00:20:43.750 --> 00:20:47.789 fall into that of the office of a prophet. Remember 00:20:47.789 --> 00:20:51.279 that a prophet both proclaims. I mean, again, 00:20:51.400 --> 00:20:53.680 some of their gifts were different. Some of them 00:20:53.680 --> 00:20:56.400 mostly foretold, but many of the prophets also 00:20:56.400 --> 00:21:00.079 proclaimed the word of God or preached it in 00:21:00.079 --> 00:21:04.259 that way. And so in Isaiah chapter 61, we look 00:21:04.259 --> 00:21:08.599 at how Jesus is the anointed one who will both 00:21:08.599 --> 00:21:12.880 preach and proclaim the good news. Isaiah 61 00:21:12.880 --> 00:21:17.750 is a very key phrase. Why is, or verses, why 00:21:17.750 --> 00:21:19.890 is this? Well, it's because, as we'll see in 00:21:19.890 --> 00:21:23.309 a moment, Jesus actually speaks these words in 00:21:23.309 --> 00:21:25.930 the midst of a synagogue and says, today this 00:21:25.930 --> 00:21:28.369 is fulfilled in your ears. So it's a very important 00:21:28.369 --> 00:21:31.809 prophecy. We'll turn to this in Isaiah chapter 00:21:31.809 --> 00:21:34.710 61, beginning in verse one. The spirit of the 00:21:34.710 --> 00:21:37.990 Lord Jehovah, the Lord God Jehovah is upon me 00:21:37.990 --> 00:21:42.529 because the Lord has anointed me to preach good 00:21:42.529 --> 00:21:46.200 tidings to the poor. He has sent me to heal the 00:21:46.200 --> 00:21:50.720 brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, 00:21:50.740 --> 00:21:53.579 and the opening of the prison to those who are 00:21:53.579 --> 00:21:58.779 bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the 00:21:58.779 --> 00:22:01.599 Lord. Now Jesus stopped there, but the prophecy 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:04.559 continues. And the day of vengeance of our God, 00:22:04.759 --> 00:22:08.140 to comfort all who mourn, to console those who 00:22:08.140 --> 00:22:10.880 mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, 00:22:11.180 --> 00:22:14.200 the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise 00:22:14.200 --> 00:22:16.640 for the spirit of heaviness, that they may be 00:22:16.640 --> 00:22:19.420 called trees of righteousness, the planting of 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:23.579 the Lord, that he may be glorified. Now I want 00:22:23.579 --> 00:22:25.579 to especially point out here that the office 00:22:25.579 --> 00:22:28.259 of a prophet, that of preaching and proclamation, 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:32.220 is very much in this passage, along with the 00:22:32.220 --> 00:22:35.720 other blessings that flow from it. It speaks 00:22:35.720 --> 00:22:39.200 of him who would be anointed, and this anointing 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:44.069 came upon Jesus at his baptism, By John the Baptist. 00:22:44.250 --> 00:22:47.970 John the baptizer was out baptizing. And he had 00:22:47.970 --> 00:22:50.430 a number of followers. He prophesied. He was 00:22:50.430 --> 00:22:53.309 the forerunner of Jesus. And he prophesied that 00:22:53.309 --> 00:22:56.690 there would be one coming. Of whom he. That is 00:22:56.690 --> 00:22:58.970 John the Baptist. Would not be worthy to even 00:22:58.970 --> 00:23:01.829 tie his shoes. Or to fasten the latchet of his 00:23:01.829 --> 00:23:06.210 sandal. And during that time Dennis. He was baptizing 00:23:06.210 --> 00:23:11.099 one day. Jesus comes. And Jesus tells him. that 00:23:11.099 --> 00:23:15.660 he is to baptize him, that John is to baptize 00:23:15.660 --> 00:23:19.240 him, Jesus. And so John the Baptist at first 00:23:19.240 --> 00:23:22.680 objects, but then he does so, and then picking 00:23:22.680 --> 00:23:25.740 up in Matthew chapter 3, when he had been baptized, 00:23:26.180 --> 00:23:29.279 Jesus came up immediately from the water, and 00:23:29.279 --> 00:23:32.299 behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he 00:23:32.299 --> 00:23:37.000 saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove 00:23:37.000 --> 00:23:43.089 and alighting on him. And then suddenly a voice 00:23:43.089 --> 00:23:48.630 came from heaven saying, this is my beloved son 00:23:48.630 --> 00:23:55.430 in whom I am well pleased. By this, Jesus received 00:23:55.430 --> 00:24:00.630 the supernatural anointing and imprimatur in 00:24:00.630 --> 00:24:05.450 a very visible and an audible way as John saw 00:24:05.450 --> 00:24:08.069 the descending of the spirit in the form of a 00:24:08.069 --> 00:24:11.480 dove. It descended out of the open heavens. He 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:15.039 says, I saw this heaven open and the spirit comes 00:24:15.039 --> 00:24:18.900 down like a dove and it alights on Jesus. And 00:24:18.900 --> 00:24:23.579 then right at this time, a voice comes from the 00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:27.140 heaven. Can you imagine the incredible sound 00:24:27.140 --> 00:24:30.839 that that must have been as God speaks out of 00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:35.059 heavens, out of the heavens? And he says. This 00:24:35.059 --> 00:24:39.519 is my beloved son. He identifies Jesus as the 00:24:39.519 --> 00:24:43.299 beloved son and that the father is well pleased 00:24:43.299 --> 00:24:47.339 with him. What an anointing. This is incredible. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:52.500 This came on Jesus at his baptism. Now after 00:24:52.500 --> 00:24:55.720 the baptism and the temptation in the wilderness, 00:24:56.019 --> 00:24:59.519 Luke tells us that Jesus returned in the power 00:24:59.519 --> 00:25:02.579 of the spirit to Galilee and then to Nazareth. 00:25:03.920 --> 00:25:06.980 where he was brought up. He went into the synagogue 00:25:06.980 --> 00:25:09.799 and he stood publicly to read the scriptures. 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:12.880 Many times they would allow visitors to stand 00:25:12.880 --> 00:25:15.759 and to read the scriptures. And this time Jesus, 00:25:15.960 --> 00:25:18.920 returning there to his old hometown, he stood 00:25:18.920 --> 00:25:21.759 and he read the scripture. And he turns to this 00:25:21.759 --> 00:25:26.019 passage in Isaiah and he reads it. And all the 00:25:26.019 --> 00:25:30.390 eyes of the congregation are fixed on him. What 00:25:30.390 --> 00:25:33.410 is he going to say about this? And then he begins. 00:25:34.089 --> 00:25:38.569 Today, the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. 00:25:38.809 --> 00:25:42.170 In other words, he's saying, I am the one who 00:25:42.170 --> 00:25:45.190 speaks. I am the one this passage is speaking 00:25:45.190 --> 00:25:48.569 of. This scripture is now fulfilled. This prophecy 00:25:48.569 --> 00:25:53.240 has been answered. And he continues. to speak 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:56.440 gracious words to them. Now, we are not given 00:25:56.440 --> 00:26:00.880 all of the contents of this speech until they 00:26:00.880 --> 00:26:05.200 begin to question, how can this be? How can he 00:26:05.200 --> 00:26:08.619 speak in such a way? How can he make these confident 00:26:08.619 --> 00:26:11.599 assertions? Don't we know him? He's the son of 00:26:11.599 --> 00:26:14.880 Joseph. This can't be. And they begin to question 00:26:14.880 --> 00:26:19.559 him. But they even get so mad because Jesus tells 00:26:19.559 --> 00:26:22.140 him that this good news would also include the 00:26:22.140 --> 00:26:25.339 Gentiles. And so all those in the synagogue were 00:26:25.339 --> 00:26:28.519 filled with anger and wrath. They rise up and 00:26:28.519 --> 00:26:30.900 they thrust him out of the city. They lead him 00:26:30.900 --> 00:26:33.160 to the brow of a hill and they're getting ready 00:26:33.160 --> 00:26:36.140 to throw him over the hill and crush him to death. 00:26:37.059 --> 00:26:39.940 But Jesus... The scripture says this in such 00:26:39.940 --> 00:26:43.259 a calm way. You can see the mad mob. They're 00:26:43.259 --> 00:26:45.980 rushing up to the top of the hill, ready to grab 00:26:45.980 --> 00:26:48.259 him and throw him over. And the scripture just 00:26:48.259 --> 00:26:50.579 says, he passed through the midst of them and 00:26:50.579 --> 00:26:55.140 went his way. It's just such an incredible passage 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:59.720 there. Very calmly, he passes through and is 00:26:59.720 --> 00:27:03.259 gone. In Luke 7, we then have the record that 00:27:03.259 --> 00:27:05.920 Jesus continues to go throughout the land. And 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:08.539 what does he do? He fulfills the gift of a prophet. 00:27:08.660 --> 00:27:11.299 He preaches the word and he gives them the good 00:27:11.299 --> 00:27:14.779 news. And then he comes to a place where there's 00:27:14.779 --> 00:27:17.559 a dead son, the son of the widow Nain, the widow 00:27:17.559 --> 00:27:20.640 from Nain. And he raises this son from the dead. 00:27:21.000 --> 00:27:31.819 What happens again? Fear come upon all. has risen 00:27:31.819 --> 00:27:38.019 up among us. God has visited his people. This 00:27:38.019 --> 00:27:40.579 report about him went throughout all Judea and 00:27:40.579 --> 00:27:43.500 the surrounding region. The fame just spread 00:27:43.500 --> 00:27:47.259 abroad about this great prophet. Everywhere he 00:27:47.259 --> 00:27:50.339 goes, this preaching continues and the other 00:27:50.339 --> 00:27:53.519 things that Isaiah prophesied happened. John 00:27:53.519 --> 00:27:56.279 the Baptist even goes through a time of doubt 00:27:56.279 --> 00:27:59.299 and he sends two of his disciples to Jesus saying, 00:27:59.869 --> 00:28:03.230 Are you the coming one or do we look for another? 00:28:03.849 --> 00:28:07.609 The servants arrived at a time when, the scripture 00:28:07.609 --> 00:28:11.190 says in Luke 7, at that very hour, he cured many 00:28:11.190 --> 00:28:14.369 of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits. 00:28:14.650 --> 00:28:17.910 To many, he gave sight. And so Jesus answered 00:28:17.910 --> 00:28:19.990 and said to them, that is to John's service, 00:28:20.170 --> 00:28:22.470 go and tell John the things you have seen and 00:28:22.470 --> 00:28:25.930 heard. What? What things? That the blind see, 00:28:26.150 --> 00:28:29.529 the lame walk. the lepers are cleansed the deaf 00:28:29.529 --> 00:28:32.130 hear the dead are raised and the poor have the 00:28:32.130 --> 00:28:34.809 gospel preached to them and blessed is he who 00:28:34.809 --> 00:28:39.109 is not offended of me again what an incredible 00:28:39.109 --> 00:28:43.490 testimony of Jesus as prophet and seeing all 00:28:43.490 --> 00:28:47.230 of these deeds truly Jesus fulfilled this prophecy 00:28:47.230 --> 00:28:52.190 from Isaiah 61 in a very distinct and clear way 00:28:52.190 --> 00:28:58.440 the second one the second gift that we see is 00:28:58.440 --> 00:29:01.400 that Jesus is the spirit -filled one who will 00:29:01.400 --> 00:29:04.680 bring justice. We see this in Isaiah chapter 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:08.099 42, one through four. This is again a prophecy. 00:29:08.380 --> 00:29:13.400 Behold, my servant whom I uphold, my elect one 00:29:13.400 --> 00:29:17.079 in whom my soul delights. I'm just going to say 00:29:17.079 --> 00:29:19.839 here, Isaiah is prophesying the words of God 00:29:19.839 --> 00:29:23.799 personified. This is God speaking through the 00:29:23.799 --> 00:29:27.299 prophet Isaiah. My servant, It's referring to 00:29:27.299 --> 00:29:31.380 God's servant. I have put my spirit upon him, 00:29:31.420 --> 00:29:34.400 God says. He will bring forth justice to the 00:29:34.400 --> 00:29:37.839 Gentiles. He will not cry out nor raise his voice 00:29:37.839 --> 00:29:40.240 nor cause his voice to be heard in the market. 00:29:40.440 --> 00:29:43.180 A bruised reed he will not break and smoking 00:29:43.180 --> 00:29:45.680 flax he will not quench. He will bring forth 00:29:45.680 --> 00:29:48.720 justice for truth. He will not fail nor be discouraged 00:29:48.720 --> 00:29:51.559 till he has established justice in the earth 00:29:51.559 --> 00:29:55.720 and the coastlands shall wait for his law. One 00:29:55.720 --> 00:29:58.220 of the chief duties of prophets in the Old Testament 00:29:58.220 --> 00:30:02.880 was a call for justice. It was where they would 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:06.039 expose wrongdoing. They would expose abuse of 00:30:06.039 --> 00:30:08.940 power and they would call for justice. They would 00:30:08.940 --> 00:30:11.640 see oppression and they would cry out against 00:30:11.640 --> 00:30:14.599 it, whether to the king or to the prince or even 00:30:14.599 --> 00:30:20.000 to the people. They prophesied God's word, commanding 00:30:20.000 --> 00:30:23.319 princes and kings to do justice. We see this 00:30:23.319 --> 00:30:27.720 in Amos chapter 5, 14 and 15. Seek good and not 00:30:27.720 --> 00:30:30.680 evil that you may live. So the Lord God of hosts 00:30:30.680 --> 00:30:33.940 will be with you as you have spoken. Hate evil, 00:30:34.160 --> 00:30:37.759 love good, establish justice in the gate. It 00:30:37.759 --> 00:30:39.839 may be that the Lord of hosts will be gracious 00:30:39.839 --> 00:30:43.130 to the remnant of Joseph. And again, then a little 00:30:43.130 --> 00:30:46.670 bit later in the passage in verse 24, Amos cries 00:30:46.670 --> 00:30:50.369 out this wonderful saying, but let justice run 00:30:50.369 --> 00:30:54.470 down like water and righteousness like a mighty 00:30:54.470 --> 00:30:58.930 stream. Micah, in Micah chapter six in verse 00:30:58.930 --> 00:31:02.470 eight, he cries out to the people to whom he 00:31:02.470 --> 00:31:05.349 is preaching. And he says, who has shown you, 00:31:05.390 --> 00:31:08.109 oh man, what is good? And what does the Lord 00:31:08.109 --> 00:31:13.599 require of you? but to do justly, to do justly, 00:31:13.660 --> 00:31:18.059 to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. 00:31:18.380 --> 00:31:22.849 Prophets called out for justice. Amos did it. 00:31:23.009 --> 00:31:26.430 Micah did it. Many others did it. And so Jesus 00:31:26.430 --> 00:31:30.490 also is going to call out for justice. Now, as 00:31:30.490 --> 00:31:33.690 a prophet, Jesus had the son of God without measure, 00:31:33.769 --> 00:31:37.289 and he brought justice to the Gentiles. Matthew 00:31:37.289 --> 00:31:40.490 testifies that this was fulfilled. quoting this 00:31:40.490 --> 00:31:44.450 passage in Isaiah 42 in Matthew 12, verse 15 00:31:44.450 --> 00:31:47.410 through 18. It says, but when Jesus knew it, 00:31:47.450 --> 00:31:50.269 he withdrew from there and great multitudes followed 00:31:50.269 --> 00:31:53.369 him and he healed them all. Yet he warned them 00:31:53.369 --> 00:31:56.089 not to make him known that it might be fulfilled, 00:31:56.269 --> 00:31:58.569 which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying, 00:31:58.890 --> 00:32:02.670 behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved 00:32:02.670 --> 00:32:06.329 in whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my 00:32:06.329 --> 00:32:09.210 spirit in him. He will declare justice. to the 00:32:09.210 --> 00:32:12.170 Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out nor 00:32:12.170 --> 00:32:14.650 will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A 00:32:14.650 --> 00:32:17.190 bruised reed he will not break and smoking flax 00:32:17.190 --> 00:32:19.769 he will not quench till he sends forth justice 00:32:19.769 --> 00:32:23.730 to victory and in his name Gentiles will trust. 00:32:24.009 --> 00:32:28.630 Jesus quotes this very passage regarding himself. 00:32:29.569 --> 00:32:33.490 Now in bringing justice to the Gentiles, Jesus 00:32:33.490 --> 00:32:38.630 brings truth and reconciliation. Truth and reconciliation 00:32:38.630 --> 00:32:42.470 before a holy God. He brings salvation from sin 00:32:42.470 --> 00:32:47.069 and he makes a clear and a new heart. This is 00:32:47.069 --> 00:32:50.990 what Jesus does. But the justice that he brings 00:32:50.990 --> 00:32:56.329 does not just stop with salvation. We get hung 00:32:56.329 --> 00:33:00.210 up on that so many times where we just focus 00:33:00.210 --> 00:33:03.069 on the salvation. Now salvation is glorious. 00:33:04.190 --> 00:33:07.890 The work of God by the Spirit in our hearts making 00:33:07.890 --> 00:33:11.309 us new people, washing us from sin and cleansing 00:33:11.309 --> 00:33:14.809 us. This is wonderful. It is glorious. But it's 00:33:14.809 --> 00:33:17.569 not the only thing that God is about. It is not 00:33:17.569 --> 00:33:20.829 the only thing that Jesus proclaims in bringing 00:33:20.829 --> 00:33:24.009 justice to the Gentiles. He brings truth and 00:33:24.009 --> 00:33:27.869 reconciliation, but He also brings a reordering 00:33:27.869 --> 00:33:31.150 and a renewing of life. He brings justice to 00:33:31.150 --> 00:33:35.460 a people and to a society. brings and he proclaims 00:33:35.460 --> 00:33:39.059 good law that does not punish the innocent nor 00:33:39.059 --> 00:33:42.539 reward the guilty he even establishes according 00:33:42.539 --> 00:33:46.480 to Romans 13 his civil ministers as servants 00:33:46.480 --> 00:33:49.319 who will know the difference between good and 00:33:49.319 --> 00:33:53.380 evil and they will praise the good and use the 00:33:53.380 --> 00:33:57.680 sword appropriately This is why Isaiah prophesies 00:33:57.680 --> 00:34:01.099 of Jesus that he will not fail nor be discouraged. 00:34:01.480 --> 00:34:04.799 What does he say? Till he has established justice 00:34:04.799 --> 00:34:08.639 in the earth and the coastlands or the isles, 00:34:08.639 --> 00:34:11.480 if you use the King James, they shall wait for 00:34:11.480 --> 00:34:15.760 his law. This prophet not only proclaims peace, 00:34:16.059 --> 00:34:20.599 but he brings it and he brings us his law and 00:34:20.599 --> 00:34:25.519 he brings justice to the world through. his administration. 00:34:25.960 --> 00:34:31.199 This is our prophet who is also a king, which 00:34:31.199 --> 00:34:34.659 we'll get to a little later in Advent season. 00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:39.860 Number three, how this is also a description 00:34:39.860 --> 00:34:43.380 of Jesus. He is the prophet who will bring light 00:34:43.380 --> 00:34:48.110 to the darkness and also to the Gentiles. Isaiah, 00:34:48.130 --> 00:34:50.130 again, Isaiah is one of our favorite books here. 00:34:50.170 --> 00:34:52.750 We keep quoting from it. Isaiah has so much to 00:34:52.750 --> 00:34:56.829 say about the coming of the Messiah. So this 00:34:56.829 --> 00:34:59.150 is the voice of the Redeemer. Isaiah here is 00:34:59.150 --> 00:35:01.550 prophetically speaking. This is what Jesus is 00:35:01.550 --> 00:35:05.590 going to say. Listen, O coastlands, to me and 00:35:05.590 --> 00:35:08.849 take heed, you peoples from afar. The Lord has 00:35:08.849 --> 00:35:11.710 called me from the womb, from the matrix of my 00:35:11.710 --> 00:35:14.869 mother. He has made mention of my name. He has 00:35:14.869 --> 00:35:18.170 made my mouth like a sharp sword. In the shadow 00:35:18.170 --> 00:35:21.650 of his hand, he has hidden me and made me a polished 00:35:21.650 --> 00:35:25.329 shaft. In his quiver, he has hidden me. And he 00:35:25.329 --> 00:35:28.469 said to me, you are my servant, O Israel, in 00:35:28.469 --> 00:35:32.130 whom I will be glorified. Then I said, I've labored 00:35:32.130 --> 00:35:34.269 in vain. I've spent my strength for nothing and 00:35:34.269 --> 00:35:37.150 in vain. Yet surely my just reward is with the 00:35:37.150 --> 00:35:40.269 Lord and my work is my God. But now the Lord 00:35:40.269 --> 00:35:43.789 says. who formed me from the womb to be his servant, 00:35:43.949 --> 00:35:47.670 to bring Jacob back to him so that Israel is 00:35:47.670 --> 00:35:50.610 gathered to him. For I shall be glorious in the 00:35:50.610 --> 00:35:53.449 eyes of the Lord and my God shall be my strength. 00:35:53.849 --> 00:35:57.449 So the father says to Jesus, it is too small 00:35:57.449 --> 00:36:00.550 a thing that you should be my servant to raise 00:36:00.550 --> 00:36:03.090 up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved 00:36:03.090 --> 00:36:07.699 ones of Israel. I will also give you as a light 00:36:07.699 --> 00:36:11.599 to the Gentiles that you should be my salvation 00:36:11.599 --> 00:36:15.679 to the ends of the earth. From this passage in 00:36:15.679 --> 00:36:19.019 Isaiah, we get to hear a conversation between 00:36:19.019 --> 00:36:22.460 God and Jesus that is not found in the New Testament. 00:36:22.699 --> 00:36:26.360 It's a conversation between God the Father and 00:36:26.360 --> 00:36:32.420 Jesus and how God the Father tells him, I am 00:36:32.420 --> 00:36:35.659 going to give you as a light to the world. I 00:36:35.659 --> 00:36:40.239 am sending you not just for the tribes of Jacob 00:36:40.239 --> 00:36:43.980 and not just to restore the preserved ones of 00:36:43.980 --> 00:36:47.920 Israel. I will give you a light to the Gentiles 00:36:47.920 --> 00:36:51.739 that you should be my salvation to the ends of 00:36:51.739 --> 00:36:55.340 the earth. Now one of the roles of a prophet. 00:36:56.000 --> 00:36:59.219 Is to enlighten. Remember the foretelling that 00:36:59.219 --> 00:37:02.039 happens. That enlightens people about what things 00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:04.820 are going to happen. But also the foretelling. 00:37:04.840 --> 00:37:07.239 It's the revealing of the mind in the will of 00:37:07.239 --> 00:37:10.159 God. And so in both of these. Both the foretelling 00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:12.840 and the foretelling. The prophet is bringing 00:37:12.840 --> 00:37:15.320 light. He's enlightening the mind. And Jesus 00:37:15.320 --> 00:37:18.159 is no exception to this. He brings great light. 00:37:18.320 --> 00:37:21.079 In fact he is even called the light. And the 00:37:21.079 --> 00:37:23.880 light to the Gentiles. So in bringing the word 00:37:23.880 --> 00:37:27.420 of God and declaring it to the people or in foretelling 00:37:27.420 --> 00:37:30.639 something in the future, he brings light. And 00:37:30.639 --> 00:37:33.800 Jesus does this in a most excellent and a blessed 00:37:33.800 --> 00:37:38.000 way, even as prophesied by Isaiah in this passage. 00:37:38.559 --> 00:37:42.539 Not only did Jesus minister to Gentiles and outcasts 00:37:42.539 --> 00:37:46.650 himself. But he gives Peter instructions to go 00:37:46.650 --> 00:37:50.010 to Cornelius' house so that the Gentiles would 00:37:50.010 --> 00:37:53.329 believe and be baptized and thus added to the 00:37:53.329 --> 00:37:56.309 church. And then on the road to Damascus, when 00:37:56.309 --> 00:37:59.949 Paul was traveling to imprison Christian believers, 00:38:00.349 --> 00:38:03.710 he is knocked to the ground by a great light 00:38:03.710 --> 00:38:07.809 that shines around him. And Jesus speaks to Paul, 00:38:07.989 --> 00:38:13.480 audibly saying, Saul, Saul. Whom are you persecuting? 00:38:13.480 --> 00:38:16.500 Why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you 00:38:16.500 --> 00:38:20.820 to kick against the goats. Paul recounts in Acts 00:38:20.820 --> 00:38:26.000 26, he says, I said, who are you, Lord? And he 00:38:26.000 --> 00:38:30.599 says, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But, 00:38:30.599 --> 00:38:33.119 and then he gives Paul commission. This isn't 00:38:33.119 --> 00:38:35.800 found in all of the accounts of the Damascus 00:38:35.800 --> 00:38:38.219 Road experience, but Paul's recounting this here. 00:38:38.380 --> 00:38:42.250 I believe it's to Agrippa in Acts 26. He says, 00:38:42.489 --> 00:38:45.449 I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but rise 00:38:45.449 --> 00:38:47.869 and stand in your feet, for I have appeared to 00:38:47.869 --> 00:38:50.389 you for this purpose, to make you a minister 00:38:50.389 --> 00:38:52.690 and a witness both of the things which you have 00:38:52.690 --> 00:38:55.210 seen and of the things which I will yet reveal 00:38:55.210 --> 00:38:58.150 to you. I will deliver you from the Jewish people 00:38:58.150 --> 00:39:01.510 as well as from the Gentiles to whom I now send 00:39:01.510 --> 00:39:05.050 you. to open their eyes in order to turn them 00:39:05.050 --> 00:39:07.590 from darkness to light and from the power of 00:39:07.590 --> 00:39:10.349 Satan to God, that they may receive the forgiveness 00:39:10.349 --> 00:39:13.449 of sins and an inheritance among those who are 00:39:13.449 --> 00:39:17.170 sanctified by faith in me. Those are Jesus' words 00:39:17.170 --> 00:39:22.380 to Paul. So Jesus not only is a prophet, Not 00:39:22.380 --> 00:39:24.940 only is he a light to the Gentiles, but he also 00:39:24.940 --> 00:39:28.539 commissions his apostles to be lights to the 00:39:28.539 --> 00:39:30.980 Gentiles. And we've just read the account, the 00:39:30.980 --> 00:39:34.659 very clear account of how Jesus personally spoke 00:39:34.659 --> 00:39:38.719 to Paul, giving him this commission to bring 00:39:38.719 --> 00:39:42.739 light to the Gentiles. And so we say again, Jesus 00:39:42.739 --> 00:39:46.500 is a true prophet and he brings light to those 00:39:46.500 --> 00:39:49.480 who live in darkness. Well, we could look at 00:39:49.480 --> 00:39:52.360 a number of others, but we don't have time. The 00:39:52.360 --> 00:39:55.599 testimony, number four, that Jesus was this prophet 00:39:55.599 --> 00:40:00.079 is found in a whole number of places in the scriptures. 00:40:00.360 --> 00:40:03.920 And I put a number of them on the outline sheet. 00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:08.679 Matthew 21, verse 11, and 21, verse 46, Luke 00:40:08.679 --> 00:40:13.260 7, verse 16, John 4, verse 19, John 6, verse 00:40:13.260 --> 00:40:19.000 14, John 7, verse 40, and John 9, verse 17. I'm 00:40:19.000 --> 00:40:21.929 only going to read two. Matthew 21, 10 and 11. 00:40:22.150 --> 00:40:24.809 And when he was coming to Jerusalem, all the 00:40:24.809 --> 00:40:28.809 city was moved, saying, Who is this? So the multitude 00:40:28.809 --> 00:40:32.570 said, This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth 00:40:32.570 --> 00:40:36.150 of Galilee. And then in John chapter 6 and verse 00:40:36.150 --> 00:40:41.829 14. Then those men, when they had seen the sign 00:40:41.829 --> 00:40:45.469 that Jesus did, they said, This is truly the 00:40:45.469 --> 00:40:49.559 prophet who is to come. into the world he was 00:40:49.559 --> 00:40:53.880 recognized as the prophet he was a prophet mighty 00:40:53.880 --> 00:40:57.579 indeed and word before god and all the people 00:40:57.579 --> 00:41:02.099 luke 24 brings this out as this is the account 00:41:02.099 --> 00:41:05.719 of the disciples this is not the apostles i think 00:41:05.719 --> 00:41:07.760 it was a couple others cleopas was one i forget 00:41:07.760 --> 00:41:09.599 the name of the other but they were on the road 00:41:09.599 --> 00:41:12.619 to emmaus and as they were walking along this 00:41:12.619 --> 00:41:17.920 was after jesus death jesus appears to them And 00:41:17.920 --> 00:41:19.800 he starts walking together with them, but they 00:41:19.800 --> 00:41:24.599 don't recognize him as Jesus. And so he sees 00:41:24.599 --> 00:41:26.440 that they're sad. And so he asks them, why are 00:41:26.440 --> 00:41:28.820 you sad? Well, haven't you heard all the things 00:41:28.820 --> 00:41:31.440 that happened? And Jesus is very wise. He just 00:41:31.440 --> 00:41:34.699 says, what things? And so then they start telling 00:41:34.699 --> 00:41:40.969 him about how that... that this, they start telling 00:41:40.969 --> 00:41:43.210 him the things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, 00:41:43.269 --> 00:41:46.409 that he was a prophet. He was mighty in deed 00:41:46.409 --> 00:41:49.090 and word before God and all the people. And this 00:41:49.090 --> 00:41:51.409 happened to him, that he was put to death. And 00:41:51.409 --> 00:41:55.090 so then Jesus opens up the word of God. Of course, 00:41:55.090 --> 00:41:57.269 that was the Old Testament at that time. And 00:41:57.269 --> 00:42:00.090 he just goes through and he expounds all the 00:42:00.090 --> 00:42:03.170 passages as they're walking along of the prophecies 00:42:03.170 --> 00:42:06.230 concerning him. But they still don't know it's 00:42:06.230 --> 00:42:10.469 Jesus. Until they come to the house where they 00:42:10.469 --> 00:42:14.130 were headed. They sit around the table. They 00:42:14.130 --> 00:42:16.630 break bread together. And in the breaking of 00:42:16.630 --> 00:42:20.130 bread, Jesus becomes manifest to them. And then 00:42:20.130 --> 00:42:24.190 poof, he disappears. Just like that. And they 00:42:24.190 --> 00:42:26.670 looked at one another and said, didn't our hearts 00:42:26.670 --> 00:42:29.929 burn when he was talking? We knew there was something 00:42:29.929 --> 00:42:32.670 really special about this, but they didn't know 00:42:32.670 --> 00:42:37.500 it was Jesus. He was a prophet, mighty in deed 00:42:37.500 --> 00:42:40.920 and word before God. This prophet, says Adam 00:42:40.920 --> 00:42:43.599 Clark, is the Lord Jesus who was in the bosom 00:42:43.599 --> 00:42:46.400 of the Father and who came to declare him to 00:42:46.400 --> 00:42:51.139 mankind. Every word spoken by him is a living 00:42:51.139 --> 00:42:54.599 and infallible oracle from God himself and must 00:42:54.599 --> 00:42:57.639 be received and obeyed as such on pain of the 00:42:57.639 --> 00:43:01.340 eternal displeasure of the Almighty. This is 00:43:01.340 --> 00:43:04.800 the prophet Jesus. When Jesus ascended into heaven, 00:43:05.019 --> 00:43:08.679 he gave the Holy Spirit to his people. They go 00:43:08.679 --> 00:43:10.980 everywhere preaching the word of God. He gave 00:43:10.980 --> 00:43:13.579 them the great commission to take it to the ends 00:43:13.579 --> 00:43:17.820 of the earth and to disciple the nations. But 00:43:17.820 --> 00:43:22.139 Jesus still executes the office of a prophet. 00:43:22.659 --> 00:43:27.280 The Westminster Larger Catechism asked this question. 00:43:27.440 --> 00:43:31.059 How does Jesus now execute the office of a prophet? 00:43:31.840 --> 00:43:34.679 The answer is this. He executes the office of 00:43:34.679 --> 00:43:37.840 a prophet in his revealing to the church in all 00:43:37.840 --> 00:43:40.940 ages by his spirit and word in various ways of 00:43:40.940 --> 00:43:44.579 administration. He reveals the whole will of 00:43:44.579 --> 00:43:47.420 God in all things concerning their edification 00:43:47.420 --> 00:43:52.260 and salvation. Christ continues to be in the 00:43:52.260 --> 00:43:55.320 office of a prophet because he is the one who 00:43:55.320 --> 00:44:00.860 is. John chapter 1. He revealed his word to holy 00:44:00.860 --> 00:44:03.980 men who spoke and wrote as they were moved by 00:44:03.980 --> 00:44:07.159 the Holy Spirit. And we have that word with us 00:44:07.159 --> 00:44:10.179 in the Holy Scriptures. And as we read them, 00:44:10.300 --> 00:44:14.619 Jesus speaks to us. He proclaims the truth to 00:44:14.619 --> 00:44:19.559 us as we read his word. And the Holy Spirit illuminates 00:44:19.559 --> 00:44:22.539 us. So Jesus speaks to us in the word. The Holy 00:44:22.539 --> 00:44:25.949 Spirit enables to understand it. That's how it 00:44:25.949 --> 00:44:31.710 works. He is the word of God. We can know the 00:44:31.710 --> 00:44:35.469 whole will of God for us in everything, for our 00:44:35.469 --> 00:44:39.750 edification and for our salvation. Alexander 00:44:39.750 --> 00:44:42.690 Hodge put it this way. Christ was the personal 00:44:42.690 --> 00:44:45.889 word of God incarnate. He who had eternally been 00:44:45.889 --> 00:44:48.130 in the bosom of the father and known the father. 00:44:48.269 --> 00:44:51.429 And consequently, he is the mediatorial prophet. 00:44:52.059 --> 00:44:55.119 In that original foundation or fountain of revelation 00:44:55.119 --> 00:44:58.039 of which all other prophets are the streams. 00:44:58.320 --> 00:45:02.940 He is the prophet of all prophets. He is the 00:45:02.940 --> 00:45:07.280 teacher of all teachers. He, Simon Peter said, 00:45:07.539 --> 00:45:13.480 has the words of eternal life. Now I leave you 00:45:13.480 --> 00:45:17.480 with this question. And it's something that is 00:45:17.480 --> 00:45:20.599 worthy of a much greater study. And that is this 00:45:20.599 --> 00:45:23.800 question. How might we, as imitators of Christ, 00:45:24.119 --> 00:45:28.599 fulfill this role? Is there any kind of a place 00:45:28.599 --> 00:45:32.599 for us to fulfill this role, the role of a prophet? 00:45:33.619 --> 00:45:37.760 Votie Bauckham put in his book, What He Must 00:45:37.760 --> 00:45:41.340 Be If You Were to Marry My Daughter. He speaks 00:45:41.340 --> 00:45:45.300 about the role of being Christ followers, how 00:45:45.300 --> 00:45:47.599 that we also have a role, especially the father 00:45:47.599 --> 00:45:49.880 in the home, of being a prophet, a priest, and 00:45:49.880 --> 00:45:55.139 a king. He puts it this way. He stresses family 00:45:55.139 --> 00:45:59.059 worship, catechizing children, arguing that fathers 00:45:59.059 --> 00:46:01.860 bear primary responsibility for their spiritual 00:46:01.860 --> 00:46:05.000 formation of their children, which is true. And 00:46:05.000 --> 00:46:09.099 so in that way, in a small way, we take the prophetic 00:46:09.099 --> 00:46:14.019 gift that Jesus had and we also look to us as 00:46:14.019 --> 00:46:17.219 well as we seek. What do we do to our children? 00:46:17.380 --> 00:46:20.179 We enlighten them. We bring the truth of them. 00:46:20.260 --> 00:46:23.659 We explain the scriptures to them. The father's 00:46:23.659 --> 00:46:26.960 life must align with his teaching, avoiding hypocrisy 00:46:26.960 --> 00:46:29.719 that exasperates children. Ephesians 6 and verse 00:46:29.719 --> 00:46:33.260 4. Fathers, point back to the one who made you, 00:46:33.360 --> 00:46:38.460 embodying God's purposes in relationships. And 00:46:38.460 --> 00:46:42.940 indeed, in that way, we also see our own prophetic 00:46:42.940 --> 00:46:47.820 role as fathers. But in that, I would also include 00:46:47.820 --> 00:46:51.840 mothers where you teach your children as well. 00:46:52.219 --> 00:46:55.199 Proverbs speaks about both the law of the father 00:46:55.199 --> 00:46:58.599 and the law of the mother. You mothers also have 00:46:58.599 --> 00:47:02.300 a wonderful way to communicate the truths of 00:47:02.300 --> 00:47:05.280 God to your children and also from older women 00:47:05.280 --> 00:47:07.940 to younger women and other opportunities. Though 00:47:07.940 --> 00:47:10.280 you do not stand in the pulpit and proclaim in 00:47:10.280 --> 00:47:12.420 the way that we do, in the way that men can, 00:47:12.639 --> 00:47:16.019 yet you also have this great gift from God. to 00:47:16.019 --> 00:47:19.820 speak in that way to those whom God has given 00:47:19.820 --> 00:47:23.420 to you. I leave that for application today. I 00:47:23.420 --> 00:47:25.920 hope that this has been a blessing to you in 00:47:25.920 --> 00:47:29.360 understanding the prophetic role of Jesus Christ 00:47:29.360 --> 00:47:31.800 and how he fulfilled it. Let's pray.