WEBVTT 00:00:01.710 --> 00:00:06.509 Amen. Thank you, Paul. I do want to say how much 00:00:06.509 --> 00:00:08.410 we appreciate the work that you and your music 00:00:08.410 --> 00:00:12.750 team did in the program on Monday night. You 00:00:12.750 --> 00:00:16.230 enabled our worship to be one that was thrilling 00:00:16.230 --> 00:00:18.309 to our hearts. I thank God for the gifts He's 00:00:18.309 --> 00:00:21.609 given to you and the heart that He's given to 00:00:21.609 --> 00:00:24.109 you to use those gifts for His glory in such 00:00:24.109 --> 00:00:26.469 a magnificent way. Amen. Do you agree with that? 00:00:29.099 --> 00:00:31.320 I don't know about you, but Johnny Hart is one 00:00:31.320 --> 00:00:34.020 of my favorite cartoonists. He has a way of saying 00:00:34.020 --> 00:00:36.479 things very succinctly, and I think it's today's 00:00:36.479 --> 00:00:40.399 cartoon that was handed to me this morning from 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:44.479 DC. I won't take time to read you the whole strip, 00:00:44.560 --> 00:00:48.179 but the first two frames are just marvelous. 00:00:49.020 --> 00:00:51.579 There are two ants that are talking on a hill. 00:00:53.259 --> 00:00:58.649 And the one ant says, who is Jesus, Dad? Daddy 00:00:58.649 --> 00:01:03.929 Ant says, he's the reason for the season. The 00:01:03.929 --> 00:01:07.150 little ant says, I thought Santa was the reason. 00:01:08.689 --> 00:01:12.609 Daddy Ant responds, he is, if you prefer Nintendo 00:01:12.609 --> 00:01:17.390 to Everlasting Life. Says it pretty well, doesn't 00:01:17.390 --> 00:01:22.069 it? We've been looking together at the names 00:01:22.069 --> 00:01:26.010 with Christmas glory from the Gospels. And this 00:01:26.010 --> 00:01:28.010 morning we're going to turn again to the Gospel 00:01:28.010 --> 00:01:32.290 of Luke in the second chapter, to the 11th verse 00:01:32.290 --> 00:01:38.689 once more as well. The words of the angel to 00:01:38.689 --> 00:01:42.950 the shepherds in the fields outside of Bethlehem. 00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:49.349 Luke 2 verse 11, Today in the town of David a 00:01:49.349 --> 00:01:54.189 Savior has been born to you. He is Christ the 00:01:54.189 --> 00:01:59.430 Lord. He is Christ, the Lord. There are some 00:01:59.430 --> 00:02:01.510 folks who are surprised to learn that Christ 00:02:01.510 --> 00:02:05.370 is not Jesus' family name, that he was not born, 00:02:05.370 --> 00:02:10.229 in fact, to Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Christ. The name 00:02:10.229 --> 00:02:15.469 Christ is actually a title. It is a Greek word 00:02:15.469 --> 00:02:20.289 that represents the Hebrew word, Messiah, or 00:02:20.289 --> 00:02:24.030 Messiah, as we say it in English. Whether you 00:02:24.030 --> 00:02:27.110 say Christ or Messiah, the meaning is the same. 00:02:27.409 --> 00:02:33.370 It is the anointed one. The anointed one. The 00:02:33.370 --> 00:02:36.729 whole of the Old Testament. Do I need to use 00:02:36.729 --> 00:02:39.870 something else? Okay, we'll do that. Thank you, 00:02:39.930 --> 00:02:44.430 sir. A man of many gifts, including helping me 00:02:44.430 --> 00:02:49.699 out of tight spots. In the Nelson Study Bible, 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:52.099 excuse me, this is the New Ungers Bible Dictionary, 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:55.500 it says, the whole of the Old Testament is to 00:02:55.500 --> 00:02:59.020 be looked upon as bearing a prophetic character. 00:03:00.360 --> 00:03:02.960 The idea underlying the whole development of 00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:06.539 these scriptures and the life dealt with therein 00:03:06.539 --> 00:03:11.139 is that of God's gracious manifestation of himself 00:03:11.139 --> 00:03:14.240 to men and the establishment of his kingdom on 00:03:14.240 --> 00:03:18.199 earth. This idea becomes more and more distinct 00:03:18.199 --> 00:03:21.800 and centralizes itself more and more fully in 00:03:21.800 --> 00:03:27.340 the person of the coming King, the Messiah. What 00:03:27.340 --> 00:03:29.280 the writer in that article is pointing out is 00:03:29.280 --> 00:03:31.659 that the Old Testament itself is prophetic in 00:03:31.659 --> 00:03:34.259 character, but as you move through the Old Testament 00:03:34.259 --> 00:03:36.560 the content becomes more and more focused on 00:03:36.560 --> 00:03:40.500 a person, on a coming King who is called Messiah. 00:03:41.159 --> 00:03:43.840 Let me give you one example of this in a book 00:03:43.840 --> 00:03:47.550 that was written toward the end of the Old Testament 00:03:47.550 --> 00:03:51.289 revelational period, the book of Daniel. Daniel 00:03:51.289 --> 00:03:57.789 lived in the 500s, the 400s, or excuse me, the 00:03:57.789 --> 00:04:02.389 500s early on, and some of the 600s. And this 00:04:02.389 --> 00:04:04.710 book that bears his name was written either during 00:04:04.710 --> 00:04:07.669 his lifetime by him or shortly thereafter reflecting 00:04:07.669 --> 00:04:10.110 upon some of the things that he said and taught. 00:04:11.009 --> 00:04:14.150 And Daniel, in the ninth chapter of his prophecy, 00:04:14.960 --> 00:04:18.480 Has an amazing statement. I invite you to turn 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:26.240 there with me Daniel chapter 9 He is given an 00:04:26.240 --> 00:04:29.560 understanding regarding the future of his people 00:04:29.560 --> 00:04:36.040 the Jews the angel says to him Or the Lord says 00:04:36.040 --> 00:04:41.319 to him through the angel Gabriel Seventy -sevens 00:04:41.319 --> 00:04:45.459 are decreed for your people and your holy city 00:04:45.459 --> 00:04:49.220 to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, 00:04:49.459 --> 00:04:52.939 to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting 00:04:52.939 --> 00:04:56.420 righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, 00:04:56.660 --> 00:05:00.899 and to anoint the most holy." And so Daniel is 00:05:00.899 --> 00:05:03.240 given this understanding that there is a period 00:05:03.240 --> 00:05:08.860 of time to be numbered 490, and we understand 00:05:08.860 --> 00:05:12.980 that to mean 490 years. for all of this to take 00:05:12.980 --> 00:05:15.860 place regarding the Jews. And then it goes on 00:05:15.860 --> 00:05:19.100 to say in verse 25, know and understand this, 00:05:20.079 --> 00:05:23.019 from the issuing of the decree to restore and 00:05:23.019 --> 00:05:28.180 rebuild Jerusalem, notice the words, until the 00:05:28.180 --> 00:05:33.100 Messiah, until the anointed one, the ruler comes, 00:05:33.860 --> 00:05:37.860 there will be seven sevens and 62 sevens, or 00:05:37.860 --> 00:05:43.709 69 sevens, 483 years. An amazing prophecy. It 00:05:43.709 --> 00:05:47.449 goes on to say, it will be rebuilt with streets 00:05:47.449 --> 00:05:51.269 and a trench, but in times of trouble. And after 00:05:51.269 --> 00:05:54.410 the sixty -two sevens, the anointed one will 00:05:54.410 --> 00:05:59.470 be cut off and will have nothing. And the people 00:05:59.470 --> 00:06:02.550 of the ruler who will come will destroy the city 00:06:02.550 --> 00:06:07.029 and the sanctuary, and so on. Daniel has given 00:06:07.029 --> 00:06:09.829 information here regarding two coming rulers. 00:06:10.540 --> 00:06:13.959 One of them will be a ruler who will destroy. 00:06:14.620 --> 00:06:18.720 We understand that ruler to be the yet coming 00:06:18.720 --> 00:06:23.519 antichrist. But he mentions also the anointed 00:06:23.519 --> 00:06:27.819 one, the Messiah. And he says that from the time 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:32.199 of the decree to allow for the rebuilding and 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:35.420 the restoration of Jerusalem until the coming 00:06:35.420 --> 00:06:40.100 of the Messiah would be 483 years. Now folks, 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:43.839 that prophecy was literally fulfilled. That was 00:06:43.839 --> 00:06:47.319 the period of time. But notice how Daniel here 00:06:47.319 --> 00:06:52.879 is pointing toward a man, a coming ruler, the 00:06:52.879 --> 00:06:58.120 Messiah. There was an expectation of the Jews 00:06:58.120 --> 00:07:01.259 that one would come to deliver the nation of 00:07:01.259 --> 00:07:05.279 Israel from her oppressors. One who would restore 00:07:05.279 --> 00:07:10.959 the line to David's throne. A writer has said 00:07:10.959 --> 00:07:13.579 in Jewish thought the Messiah would be the king 00:07:13.579 --> 00:07:16.899 of the Jews, a political leader who would defeat 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:21.000 their enemies and bring in a golden era of peace 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:27.100 and prosperity. I'm going to take this microphone 00:07:27.100 --> 00:07:29.259 off so I can at least be a little more free. 00:07:30.220 --> 00:07:32.060 Notice that in Jewish thought there would be 00:07:32.060 --> 00:07:36.459 a political leader. They understood the Messiah 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:40.459 to be primarily political. And in the centuries 00:07:40.459 --> 00:07:44.120 surrounding Jesus' lifetime, there was in fact 00:07:44.120 --> 00:07:49.000 a messianic fever among the Jews and the non 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:51.959 -Jews as well due to the Jewish influence upon 00:07:51.959 --> 00:07:56.860 them in their cities. We observe this messianic 00:07:56.860 --> 00:08:00.139 fever, for example, in the Pseudepigrapha, a 00:08:00.139 --> 00:08:03.660 collection of writings, of Jewish writings from 00:08:03.660 --> 00:08:06.800 the 300 -year period surrounding Jesus' birth. 00:08:07.419 --> 00:08:10.920 In those writings, there is a key theme, and 00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:14.459 that theme is the Messianic age and the coming 00:08:14.459 --> 00:08:19.100 of a great ruler. We see it also suggested in 00:08:19.100 --> 00:08:21.720 some secular literature. For example, the writings 00:08:21.720 --> 00:08:26.360 of Virgil, the Latin poet who died in 19 BC. 00:08:26.920 --> 00:08:28.720 By the way, that was the very year that King 00:08:28.720 --> 00:08:33.039 Herod began the building of the temple in Jerusalem 00:08:33.039 --> 00:08:36.100 that came to be known as Herod's... temple and 00:08:36.100 --> 00:08:39.960 was the temple in Jesus' day. Virgil died in 00:08:39.960 --> 00:08:42.539 the year that work began, but he wrote in his 00:08:42.539 --> 00:08:46.139 fourth echelon of a child who would bring peace 00:08:46.139 --> 00:08:51.860 to the world. Now that pagan poet probably picked 00:08:51.860 --> 00:08:55.899 up that concept from the Jewish people who were 00:08:55.899 --> 00:08:59.519 in the city where he lived. You see, there was 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:02.980 this expectation of a coming Messiah. But when 00:09:02.980 --> 00:09:06.259 he came, He was not what they expected him to 00:09:06.259 --> 00:09:10.179 be. They wanted a Messiah who would fulfill their 00:09:10.179 --> 00:09:15.259 agenda. But Jesus came to fulfill God's agenda. 00:09:16.019 --> 00:09:23.179 I come to do your will, O God," he said. Another 00:09:23.179 --> 00:09:25.840 writer has said, Jesus understood that the Messiah, 00:09:26.019 --> 00:09:30.559 God's anointed one, was to be the suffering servant. 00:09:31.820 --> 00:09:35.100 The fact that Jesus was a suffering Messiah, 00:09:35.399 --> 00:09:39.240 a crucified deliverer, was a stumbling block 00:09:39.240 --> 00:09:43.299 to many of the Jews. They saw the cross as a 00:09:43.299 --> 00:09:47.279 sign of Jesus' weakness, powerlessness, and failure. 00:09:48.419 --> 00:09:52.320 They rejected the idea of a crucified Messiah. 00:09:52.940 --> 00:09:55.179 Of course, the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 00:09:55.179 --> 00:09:58.899 makes it very clear that that message was a stumbling 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:03.190 block to the Jews and foolishness. to the so 00:10:03.190 --> 00:10:09.669 -called wise Gentiles. This title of Christ was 00:10:09.669 --> 00:10:12.289 not one that Jesus frequently used of himself. 00:10:13.350 --> 00:10:17.049 He chose other titles that were also messianic, 00:10:17.590 --> 00:10:19.690 but not the title of Christ, and yet consider 00:10:19.690 --> 00:10:23.830 these words from Matthew chapter 26. The high 00:10:23.830 --> 00:10:27.049 priest said to Jesus, I charge you under oath 00:10:27.049 --> 00:10:31.659 by the living God. Tell us. if you are the Christ, 00:10:32.659 --> 00:10:40.179 the Son of God?" He replied, Yes. It is as you 00:10:40.179 --> 00:10:44.360 say. But I say to all of you, in the future you 00:10:44.360 --> 00:10:46.679 will see the Son of Man sitting at the right 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:49.340 hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds 00:10:49.340 --> 00:10:53.740 of heaven. Jesus understood exactly who He was. 00:10:54.500 --> 00:10:56.220 And when He was asked, Are you the Christ? He 00:10:56.220 --> 00:11:00.169 said, Yes. And they understood that because it 00:11:00.169 --> 00:11:03.470 was for blasphemy then that they claimed that 00:11:03.470 --> 00:11:07.730 they crucified him. Although Jesus did not use 00:11:07.730 --> 00:11:11.789 the title himself, nonetheless it is one that 00:11:11.789 --> 00:11:15.350 is clearly attributed to him in the Bible. The 00:11:15.350 --> 00:11:19.450 one who was born and laid in a manger, who was 00:11:19.450 --> 00:11:22.450 later crucified and who offered himself for our 00:11:22.450 --> 00:11:29.669 sin, was none other than Christ. the Lord. Now 00:11:29.669 --> 00:11:31.769 in Luke chapter 2, there are two significant 00:11:31.769 --> 00:11:34.090 statements using that word Christ that I want 00:11:34.090 --> 00:11:36.169 you to note. The first one is in the verse we've 00:11:36.169 --> 00:11:39.870 read that the one who the shepherds were invited 00:11:39.870 --> 00:11:44.970 to come and see was Christ the Lord. This is 00:11:44.970 --> 00:11:51.549 an unequivocal declaration of His deity. He is 00:11:51.549 --> 00:11:56.269 not merely Christ the coming ruler or Christ 00:11:56.029 --> 00:12:03.230 the babe. He is Christ the Lord. He is God. But 00:12:03.230 --> 00:12:05.490 let your eyes fall down a few more verses to 00:12:05.490 --> 00:12:12.470 verse 26, where regarding Simeon, Luke says this, 00:12:13.570 --> 00:12:17.110 it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit 00:12:17.110 --> 00:12:21.470 that he would not die before he had seen the 00:12:21.470 --> 00:12:24.789 Lord's Christ. You see the difference in the 00:12:24.789 --> 00:12:28.980 way it's put? First it is Christ the Lord. Now 00:12:28.980 --> 00:12:34.200 it is the Lord's Christ. It's a different statement. 00:12:34.440 --> 00:12:37.360 It means something different. Here we have the 00:12:37.360 --> 00:12:41.759 unequivocal declaration of the distinction of 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:48.759 Christ from the Father. He who is God is also 00:12:48.759 --> 00:12:54.539 God's Christ. And so we have a bridge into the 00:12:54.539 --> 00:13:00.220 truth of God's triunity. that in God's oneness 00:13:00.220 --> 00:13:06.299 there are three persons. By looking into the 00:13:06.299 --> 00:13:09.559 Old Testament at the context of this name Christ, 00:13:10.919 --> 00:13:13.960 we will understand even more what its significance 00:13:13.960 --> 00:13:18.720 is for us. That context of the Old Testament 00:13:18.720 --> 00:13:21.620 speaks of Christ the Anointed One as having three 00:13:21.620 --> 00:13:26.980 offices. These offices align with the three offices 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:30.419 for which the Jews anointed people. There were 00:13:30.419 --> 00:13:34.980 three of them. They were prophet and king and 00:13:34.980 --> 00:13:41.519 priest. Those are the same offices that the anointed 00:13:41.519 --> 00:13:46.539 one, Christ, fills. And so my first point this 00:13:46.539 --> 00:13:49.419 morning is this, is that Jesus who is Christ 00:13:49.419 --> 00:13:55.610 the Lord is prophet. He is the prophet. I invite 00:13:55.610 --> 00:13:58.110 you to turn your Bibles to the book of Deuteronomy 00:13:58.110 --> 00:14:09.309 in the 18th chapter. Deuteronomy chapter 18. 00:14:12.590 --> 00:14:16.970 Moses speaks to the people of Israel. And he 00:14:16.970 --> 00:14:24.559 says in verse 15, for you a prophet like me from 00:14:24.559 --> 00:14:28.120 among your brothers. You must listen to him. 00:14:28.600 --> 00:14:31.460 For this is what you asked of the Lord your God 00:14:31.460 --> 00:14:33.580 at Horeb on the day of the assembly when you 00:14:33.580 --> 00:14:35.919 said, Let us not hear the voice of the Lord our 00:14:35.919 --> 00:14:38.659 God, nor see this great fire anymore, or we will 00:14:38.659 --> 00:14:43.379 die. The Lord said to me, What they say is good. 00:14:43.820 --> 00:14:48.159 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:51.779 among their brothers. I will put my words in 00:14:51.779 --> 00:14:55.200 his mouth, and he will tell them everything I 00:14:55.200 --> 00:14:59.980 command him." Moses, you see, foretells a coming 00:14:59.980 --> 00:15:05.460 prophet like him. And the Jews anticipated this 00:15:05.460 --> 00:15:09.679 prophet. I'm sure they did not fully understand 00:15:09.679 --> 00:15:11.919 all that it entailed, but they believed that 00:15:11.919 --> 00:15:14.440 there would come to them a prophet like Moses 00:15:14.440 --> 00:15:17.720 who would deliver to them the pure words of God. 00:15:18.509 --> 00:15:21.629 We see this, for example, in the first chapter 00:15:21.629 --> 00:15:24.970 of the Gospel of John. I'd like you to turn there 00:15:24.970 --> 00:15:29.909 for a moment. John chapter 1, where I'll begin 00:15:29.909 --> 00:15:36.529 reading in verse 19. Now this was John's testimony 00:15:36.529 --> 00:15:39.350 when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites 00:15:39.350 --> 00:15:44.190 to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, 00:15:44.250 --> 00:15:49.980 but confessed freely, I am not the Christ. And 00:15:49.980 --> 00:15:53.159 they asked him, then, who are you? Are you Elijah? 00:15:54.000 --> 00:16:00.200 He said, I am not. Are you the prophet? He answered, 00:16:00.200 --> 00:16:04.779 no. Notice that. Well, if you're not the Christ, 00:16:04.860 --> 00:16:06.960 then you must be Elijah. No, I'm not Elijah. 00:16:08.139 --> 00:16:11.620 Well, are you the prophet? You see, they understood 00:16:11.620 --> 00:16:16.250 that a prophet was coming. Finally they said, 00:16:16.450 --> 00:16:18.529 who are you? Give us an answer to take back to 00:16:18.529 --> 00:16:20.850 those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? 00:16:21.330 --> 00:16:23.830 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, 00:16:24.350 --> 00:16:26.889 I am the voice of one calling in the desert. 00:16:27.450 --> 00:16:31.090 Make straight the way for the Lord. Some of the 00:16:31.090 --> 00:16:34.389 Pharisees who had been sent questioned him. Why 00:16:34.389 --> 00:16:37.330 then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, 00:16:37.549 --> 00:16:41.549 nor Elijah, nor the prophet? You see even the 00:16:41.549 --> 00:16:43.389 Pharisees, the religious leaders, were looking 00:16:43.389 --> 00:16:46.929 for this prophet to come who would be like Moses, 00:16:47.870 --> 00:16:50.149 then consider with me the correlation between 00:16:50.149 --> 00:16:55.409 Moses and Christ. There are three of them. First 00:16:55.409 --> 00:16:59.789 of all, they both revealed God. They both revealed 00:16:59.789 --> 00:17:04.049 God. Moses revealed God through the law, Jesus, 00:17:04.869 --> 00:17:09.269 in fullness of grace and truth. Secondly, they 00:17:09.269 --> 00:17:13.980 both mediated a covenant. Moses mediated the 00:17:13.980 --> 00:17:17.339 covenant of law and established the priesthood 00:17:17.339 --> 00:17:19.960 of his brother Aaron and the sacrifices of the 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:23.000 Old Testament. He delivered the Ten Commandments 00:17:23.000 --> 00:17:25.779 and the standards of God for personal morality 00:17:25.779 --> 00:17:28.019 as well as for civil behavior among the people 00:17:28.019 --> 00:17:31.420 of Israel. It was a covenant that was established 00:17:31.420 --> 00:17:37.980 by blood. But Jesus also established a covenant. 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:43.410 A covenant based upon his own blood that was 00:17:43.410 --> 00:17:46.650 shed. It's called the New Covenant and it's a 00:17:46.650 --> 00:17:51.109 better covenant. But both of them mediated covenants. 00:17:51.369 --> 00:17:57.990 Third, they both delivered their people. Moses 00:17:57.990 --> 00:18:00.250 delivered the people of Israel from their bondage 00:18:00.250 --> 00:18:04.109 in Egypt and Jesus delivers his people from bondage 00:18:04.109 --> 00:18:08.940 to sin. So you see how Jesus is the prophet who 00:18:08.940 --> 00:18:13.900 is like Moses. However, having said that, it 00:18:13.900 --> 00:18:16.720 is important to realize that Jesus is greater 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:20.720 than Moses. As the author of Hebrews states in 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:23.920 the third chapter of that book, Jesus has been 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:27.619 found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just 00:18:27.619 --> 00:18:31.980 as the builder of a house has greater honor than 00:18:31.980 --> 00:18:36.259 the house itself. You see, Moses was a part of 00:18:36.259 --> 00:18:41.720 the people of God, but Jesus was God who was 00:18:41.720 --> 00:18:46.279 calling a people to himself. And so, as Christ, 00:18:46.380 --> 00:18:49.200 my first point is this, that Jesus holds the 00:18:49.200 --> 00:18:52.859 office of prophet. As prophet, he reveals God 00:18:52.859 --> 00:18:56.559 to man. He is the full and perfect expression 00:18:56.559 --> 00:19:01.400 of all that God is. He is the final and supreme 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:06.089 revelation. of God to humankind. The Apostle 00:19:06.089 --> 00:19:08.849 John puts it this way in the first chapter of 00:19:08.849 --> 00:19:12.470 his Gospel, verses 17 and 18. For the law was 00:19:12.470 --> 00:19:16.069 given through Moses, grace and truth came through 00:19:16.069 --> 00:19:21.529 Jesus Christ. No one has seen God, but God the 00:19:21.529 --> 00:19:24.410 one and only who is at the Father's side has 00:19:24.410 --> 00:19:30.559 made him known. And so Jesus is the full revelation 00:19:30.559 --> 00:19:35.000 of God. He has led God who is invisible out into 00:19:35.000 --> 00:19:38.700 view so that we can see Him in the person of 00:19:38.700 --> 00:19:44.920 Jesus' life and His words. He is the expounder 00:19:44.920 --> 00:19:49.619 of God to us. He is the prophet. And there is 00:19:49.619 --> 00:19:52.920 no prophet that is greater than Jesus Christ, 00:19:52.920 --> 00:19:57.259 and there is none in this sense. who comes after 00:19:57.259 --> 00:20:05.420 Him. He is the Prophet. You and I live in a day 00:20:05.420 --> 00:20:09.019 in which we're being told that all religions 00:20:09.019 --> 00:20:14.779 of the world have some piece of the truth. That 00:20:14.779 --> 00:20:18.420 if you're a person who is a follower of Allah, 00:20:19.559 --> 00:20:23.680 a Muslim, that you're following God as you understand 00:20:23.680 --> 00:20:26.890 Him and that's the truth for you. And if you're 00:20:26.890 --> 00:20:28.789 a follower of Buddha, then you have a piece of 00:20:28.789 --> 00:20:31.269 the truth as well. In Christians, we have a piece 00:20:31.269 --> 00:20:35.849 of the truth. Everybody's got a piece. And in 00:20:35.849 --> 00:20:38.109 the end, if we just follow that truth that we 00:20:38.109 --> 00:20:42.410 have, we'll all come to the same God. My friend, 00:20:42.430 --> 00:20:47.269 that is a lie out of hell. That is a lie out 00:20:47.269 --> 00:20:53.250 of hell. Jesus Christ is the unique revelation 00:20:53.250 --> 00:20:58.319 of God. And no one comes to God except through 00:20:58.319 --> 00:21:02.000 Him, who is the prophet who has revealed God 00:21:02.000 --> 00:21:08.640 to us. He is Christ, the anointed prophet. Secondly, 00:21:08.700 --> 00:21:13.019 He is Christ, who is potentate. He's the King. 00:21:13.619 --> 00:21:17.200 He is the powerful ruler whom God has appointed 00:21:17.200 --> 00:21:21.740 as sovereign over all of creation. There's a 00:21:21.740 --> 00:21:23.740 psalm that I want you to turn to. There's a key 00:21:23.740 --> 00:21:27.450 messianic psalm. written by David. It's number 00:21:27.450 --> 00:21:33.670 110 in your hymn book, in your psalter that is, 00:21:34.309 --> 00:21:44.289 the book of Psalms. Number 110. The Lord says 00:21:44.289 --> 00:21:48.410 to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make 00:21:48.410 --> 00:21:51.730 your enemies a footstool for your feet. That 00:21:51.730 --> 00:21:58.490 is an oriental expression. Kings who were conquerors 00:21:58.490 --> 00:22:01.890 would ceremonially put their feet upon the necks 00:22:01.890 --> 00:22:05.589 of those they had conquered. It meant that they 00:22:05.589 --> 00:22:10.730 were supreme, that they were victorious. And 00:22:10.730 --> 00:22:15.210 so the Lord says to my Lord, David writes, sit 00:22:15.210 --> 00:22:18.630 here until I make your enemies a footstool for 00:22:18.630 --> 00:22:22.670 your feet. The Lord will extend your mighty scepter 00:22:22.670 --> 00:22:26.569 from Zion. You will rule in the midst of your 00:22:26.569 --> 00:22:31.390 enemies. This is a statement regarding the fact 00:22:31.390 --> 00:22:35.430 that Jesus Christ is the King, the potentate. 00:22:37.490 --> 00:22:40.349 Perhaps this psalm was written by David as a 00:22:40.349 --> 00:22:44.269 coronation song for his son Solomon, to whom 00:22:44.269 --> 00:22:49.410 he was about to hand over his kingdom. Whether 00:22:49.410 --> 00:22:52.589 or not that is true, we don't really know. What 00:22:52.589 --> 00:22:58.180 is true? is that when David wrote it, the Holy 00:22:58.180 --> 00:23:01.200 Spirit was causing him to write about a greater 00:23:01.200 --> 00:23:06.779 descendant of his than Solomon. He was writing 00:23:06.779 --> 00:23:13.720 about his son, the Messiah, the Christ. Jesus 00:23:13.720 --> 00:23:18.339 understood this Psalm to mean that he was indeed 00:23:18.339 --> 00:23:25.230 the Christ. in Matthew chapter 22. It says, while 00:23:25.230 --> 00:23:28.029 the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked 00:23:28.029 --> 00:23:33.250 them, what do you think about the Christ? Whose 00:23:33.250 --> 00:23:40.089 son is he? They replied, the son of David. He 00:23:40.089 --> 00:23:43.930 said to them, how is it then that David, speaking 00:23:43.930 --> 00:23:48.630 by the Spirit, calls him Lord? For he says, the 00:23:48.630 --> 00:23:51.799 Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until 00:23:51.799 --> 00:23:55.200 I put your enemies under your feet. If then David 00:23:55.200 --> 00:24:04.059 calls him Lord, how can he be his son? No father 00:24:04.059 --> 00:24:07.440 who is the king is going to call his descendant 00:24:07.440 --> 00:24:12.279 his Lord. And yet that's exactly what David does. 00:24:13.660 --> 00:24:15.740 And it says no one could say a word in reply, 00:24:15.940 --> 00:24:17.859 and from that day on no one dared to ask him 00:24:17.859 --> 00:24:20.640 any more questions. In that context, they've 00:24:20.640 --> 00:24:23.799 been trying to trick Jesus in some questions. 00:24:24.859 --> 00:24:29.039 You don't trick the one who is wisdom incarnate. 00:24:29.539 --> 00:24:31.599 And he turned around and asked them a question 00:24:31.599 --> 00:24:33.240 that put them on the spot. They did not know 00:24:33.240 --> 00:24:37.160 how to answer this question. But his use of that 00:24:37.160 --> 00:24:39.680 psalm shows that he understood that psalm to 00:24:39.680 --> 00:24:44.680 refer to him, himself. This truth that Jesus 00:24:44.680 --> 00:24:50.240 the Christ is King is the bedrock of the Apostle's 00:24:50.240 --> 00:24:54.359 faith. Jesus asked the question of his disciples, 00:24:54.539 --> 00:24:59.059 who am I? Peter answered, you are the Christ, 00:25:01.420 --> 00:25:04.920 the Son of the living God. Peter's understanding 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:08.799 grew of that, and when he stood on Mount, on 00:25:08.799 --> 00:25:41.670 Pentecost Sunday and preached, He said, You see, 00:25:41.789 --> 00:25:45.319 Peter. understood that Psalm 110 referred to 00:25:45.319 --> 00:25:50.500 Jesus. And then he concludes by saying, Therefore 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:54.640 let all Israel be assured of this. God has made 00:25:54.640 --> 00:25:59.920 this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ. 00:26:01.519 --> 00:26:07.859 Both Lord and Christ. He is Christ the Lord who 00:26:07.859 --> 00:26:11.150 is potentate. He is the ruler. and one day he 00:26:11.150 --> 00:26:14.490 will return to the earth and will deal with all 00:26:14.490 --> 00:26:18.049 of those opposing him and claim his rights to 00:26:18.049 --> 00:26:22.150 the throne of David. His scepter will be stretched 00:26:22.150 --> 00:26:26.089 out in Mount Zion as it says right here as he 00:26:26.089 --> 00:26:29.130 rules over the earth. In the book of Revelation 00:26:29.130 --> 00:26:31.730 we have a view of that day when the seventh angel 00:26:31.730 --> 00:26:34.990 sounds his trumpet and the loud voices in heaven 00:26:34.990 --> 00:26:38.130 say the kingdom of this world has become the 00:26:38.130 --> 00:26:41.750 kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he 00:26:41.750 --> 00:26:46.750 will reign forever and ever. You see, as Christ, 00:26:46.869 --> 00:26:51.549 Jesus holds the office of potentate, and as the 00:26:51.549 --> 00:26:55.289 potentate, he reigns over all. There is nothing, 00:26:55.829 --> 00:26:58.690 absolutely nothing, that is outside the realm 00:26:58.690 --> 00:27:04.869 of his authority and reign. Even though we do 00:27:04.869 --> 00:27:09.910 not yet see all things subjected to him, They 00:27:09.910 --> 00:27:14.009 one day will be, because God has already declared, 00:27:15.410 --> 00:27:19.450 sit at my right hand, and one day I will cause 00:27:19.450 --> 00:27:23.329 all of your enemies to be a footstool under your 00:27:23.329 --> 00:27:28.349 feet." That's the Christ. Now the third office 00:27:28.349 --> 00:27:30.950 for which the Jews anointed was the office of 00:27:30.950 --> 00:27:35.430 priest, and Jesus, as Christ the Lord, is also 00:27:35.430 --> 00:27:40.109 priest. He's the anointed priest. Notice in Psalm 00:27:40.109 --> 00:27:45.710 110 that David's kingly son is also appointed 00:27:45.710 --> 00:27:49.049 and installed as priest. Look in verse 4. The 00:27:49.049 --> 00:27:52.349 Lord has sworn and will not change his mind. 00:27:52.869 --> 00:27:57.769 You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. 00:27:58.730 --> 00:28:03.750 The order of Melchizedek. Now you remember, as 00:28:03.750 --> 00:28:05.950 I said before, there was a priesthood under the 00:28:05.950 --> 00:28:11.319 law. and its duties belonged to the sons of Aaron, 00:28:12.579 --> 00:28:15.500 who was of the tribe of Levi, the family of Levi, 00:28:15.640 --> 00:28:20.400 one of Jacob's sons. Let me ask you, is Jesus 00:28:20.400 --> 00:28:25.619 a Levite according to his birth? He is not. He 00:28:25.619 --> 00:28:28.819 is not a son of Levi. He cannot be a priest according 00:28:28.819 --> 00:28:32.539 to the old covenant, and he doesn't need to be, 00:28:32.700 --> 00:28:34.920 because he has a greater covenant that he's put 00:28:34.920 --> 00:28:38.450 into place. But Jesus is of the tribe of what? 00:28:39.789 --> 00:28:44.650 Of Judah, exactly. Christ is not a priest according 00:28:44.650 --> 00:28:49.930 to the law of Israel. Jesus is a priest according 00:28:49.930 --> 00:28:54.230 to a higher law. His duties are aligned with 00:28:54.230 --> 00:28:57.470 a superior order of priesthood, namely that of 00:28:57.470 --> 00:29:01.190 Melchizedek. You remember from the Old Testament, 00:29:01.650 --> 00:29:06.809 Genesis 14, that Melchizedek was a king -priest 00:29:06.809 --> 00:29:11.309 of ancient Salem. In the Bible, he has no record 00:29:11.309 --> 00:29:16.130 of lineage. There is no account of his death 00:29:16.130 --> 00:29:21.569 or his birth. He has thus made a picture or a 00:29:21.569 --> 00:29:27.289 type of an eternal priest, one who is forever 00:29:27.289 --> 00:29:31.670 in that office. He's a picture of that. And Christ 00:29:31.670 --> 00:29:37.220 now is a priest in his order. And it fits. It 00:29:37.220 --> 00:29:43.700 fits because Jesus is one who is eternal. He 00:29:43.700 --> 00:29:46.460 is appointed to a priesthood that is eternal. 00:29:47.380 --> 00:29:51.299 Hebrews chapter 7 follows up on this by saying, 00:29:51.460 --> 00:29:54.039 and what we have said is even more clear if another 00:29:54.039 --> 00:29:57.480 priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has 00:29:57.480 --> 00:29:59.859 become a priest not on the basis of regulation 00:29:59.859 --> 00:30:03.440 as to his ancestry. But on the basis of the power 00:30:03.440 --> 00:30:05.400 of an indestructible life, for it is written, 00:30:06.160 --> 00:30:09.220 you are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. 00:30:10.460 --> 00:30:13.480 The former regulation is set aside because it 00:30:13.480 --> 00:30:17.319 was weak and useless, for the law made nothing 00:30:17.319 --> 00:30:21.500 perfect. And a better hope is introduced by which 00:30:21.500 --> 00:30:26.759 we draw near to God. And it was not without an 00:30:26.759 --> 00:30:29.880 oath. Others became priests without any oath. 00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:33.500 but he became a priest with an oath. When God 00:30:33.500 --> 00:30:37.140 said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not 00:30:37.140 --> 00:30:43.000 change his mind, you are a priest forever. So 00:30:43.000 --> 00:30:46.140 the writer says, because of this oath, Jesus 00:30:46.140 --> 00:30:49.240 has become the guarantee of a better covenant. 00:30:52.079 --> 00:30:57.400 The Lord Jesus Christ is priest and he is able 00:30:57.400 --> 00:31:01.099 to save completely. those who come to God through 00:31:01.099 --> 00:31:06.160 Him, because He always lives to intercede for 00:31:06.160 --> 00:31:11.359 them. As Christ, He is priest. And as priest, 00:31:11.759 --> 00:31:15.700 He represents believers before God. You say, 00:31:15.720 --> 00:31:18.839 well, why does He need to do that? What is the 00:31:18.839 --> 00:31:22.299 purpose of His being a priest that appears before 00:31:22.299 --> 00:31:25.400 God on our behalf? The answer to that is very 00:31:25.400 --> 00:31:30.029 simple. He is there before God. as an eternal 00:31:30.029 --> 00:31:35.029 demonstration of His adequacy in His once -for 00:31:35.029 --> 00:31:40.029 -all sacrifice for the sins of the saints. You 00:31:40.029 --> 00:31:42.930 see, Jesus will forever appear as the glorified 00:31:42.930 --> 00:31:47.130 Lamb of God in the New Jerusalem. The radiance 00:31:47.130 --> 00:31:52.289 from His own body will fill this massive planet, 00:31:52.410 --> 00:31:56.750 really, that's called a city. and he will bear 00:31:56.750 --> 00:32:01.150 the scars forever of his wounds. He will serve 00:32:01.150 --> 00:32:06.269 as a priest, therefore, forever, telling all 00:32:06.269 --> 00:32:09.430 of creation, all of the redeemed that what he 00:32:09.430 --> 00:32:14.329 did on the cross was adequate for our sins. He 00:32:14.329 --> 00:32:19.089 is the priest who offered up himself and then 00:32:19.089 --> 00:32:22.029 rose from the dead that he might represent all 00:32:22.029 --> 00:32:27.279 of us who come to God through him. In closing, 00:32:27.460 --> 00:32:30.099 I want to say three things regarding an application 00:32:30.099 --> 00:32:34.460 of these truths. That Jesus is Christ the Lord 00:32:34.460 --> 00:32:38.759 is in the first place, truth that gains your 00:32:38.759 --> 00:32:43.000 salvation. For you see, if he were not Christ 00:32:43.000 --> 00:32:46.819 the Lord, he could not offer himself as a sufficient 00:32:46.819 --> 00:32:53.480 sacrifice for sin. One writer has said, the message 00:32:53.480 --> 00:32:56.009 of the early church centered around the fact 00:32:56.009 --> 00:32:59.950 that the crucified and risen Jesus is the Christ. 00:33:01.750 --> 00:33:05.029 They proclaim the scandalous gospel of a crucified 00:33:05.029 --> 00:33:08.809 Messiah as the power and wisdom of God. John 00:33:08.809 --> 00:33:13.789 wrote, who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus 00:33:13.789 --> 00:33:19.369 is the Christ? You cannot know God except in 00:33:19.369 --> 00:33:24.349 Jesus Christ. You may be a sincere follower of 00:33:24.349 --> 00:33:28.069 some other religious leader or a guru But I can 00:33:28.069 --> 00:33:31.450 tell you you cannot ever know God except through 00:33:31.450 --> 00:33:39.789 Jesus Christ He is the prophet He is the sole 00:33:39.789 --> 00:33:42.910 revelation of God by which we may gain eternal 00:33:42.910 --> 00:33:48.710 life It is because he is Christ the Lord that 00:33:48.710 --> 00:33:53.009 you can gain salvation because of who He is and 00:33:53.009 --> 00:33:56.869 what He has done for you. There's a second truth 00:33:56.869 --> 00:34:01.829 that Jesus is Christ the Lord is truth that guards 00:34:01.829 --> 00:34:06.470 your future. That's truth that guards your future 00:34:06.470 --> 00:34:09.969 because He is the King who must and who will 00:34:09.969 --> 00:34:16.099 reign over an eternal kingdom. And by His authority 00:34:16.099 --> 00:34:19.679 He is moving all of history and all of history's 00:34:19.679 --> 00:34:25.599 people toward their appointed ends. And because 00:34:25.599 --> 00:34:28.980 of who He is, as Christ the Lord, the potentate, 00:34:29.039 --> 00:34:32.619 the King that God has installed, your future 00:34:32.619 --> 00:34:37.019 is absolutely guarded. There is nothing that 00:34:37.019 --> 00:34:40.480 can prevent you from being a part of the future 00:34:40.480 --> 00:34:44.500 reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. But there is 00:34:44.500 --> 00:34:47.920 a third truth. That is that because Jesus is 00:34:47.920 --> 00:34:53.219 Christ the Lord, your protection is guaranteed. 00:34:54.719 --> 00:34:57.039 Your protection is guaranteed. He is a priest, 00:34:57.039 --> 00:35:01.800 as I said, who stands before God. You say, well, 00:35:01.800 --> 00:35:03.840 what if I fail? What if something comes into 00:35:03.840 --> 00:35:07.579 my life that causes me to really wander from 00:35:07.579 --> 00:35:12.989 God, and I fail Him, and I fall into sin? You 00:35:12.989 --> 00:35:16.690 have a priest who stands before God on your behalf. 00:35:17.449 --> 00:35:20.530 Dear friend, we all fail to a greater or lesser 00:35:20.530 --> 00:35:24.829 extent every day of our lives, and we need one 00:35:24.829 --> 00:35:29.929 who stands before God there as our surety, there 00:35:29.929 --> 00:35:34.789 as our guarantee that we are kept safe in Him. 00:35:35.929 --> 00:35:38.210 You and I do not have to fear what may happen 00:35:38.210 --> 00:35:41.980 tomorrow. We do not have to fear that maybe we 00:35:41.980 --> 00:35:46.380 will fail in the end. Jesus Christ stands before 00:35:46.380 --> 00:35:49.780 God as our intercessor and our high priest, and 00:35:49.780 --> 00:35:55.500 so your protection is guaranteed. As we make 00:35:55.500 --> 00:35:57.519 our way through the remainder of this very holy 00:35:57.519 --> 00:36:00.860 season of the year, I hope that this name of 00:36:00.860 --> 00:36:04.860 Christmas glory is one that will sparkle with 00:36:04.860 --> 00:36:08.309 new significance for your life. As you recognize 00:36:08.309 --> 00:36:11.309 that he is not Christ the babe, he is Christ 00:36:11.309 --> 00:36:17.050 the Lord who came as a babe. And because he is 00:36:17.050 --> 00:36:20.929 Christ the Lord, he is God's anointed prophet 00:36:20.929 --> 00:36:24.889 by whom we may come to know God. He is God's 00:36:24.889 --> 00:36:27.829 anointed potentate who will reign and who is 00:36:27.829 --> 00:36:31.150 moving all of history toward God's appointed 00:36:31.150 --> 00:36:38.429 future. And he is God's appointed... priest who 00:36:38.429 --> 00:36:42.010 stands on our behalf to guarantee that one day 00:36:42.010 --> 00:36:45.989 we too will share the glories of heaven because 00:36:45.989 --> 00:36:50.349 He is Christ. He is Christ, the Anointed One. 00:36:50.989 --> 00:36:56.050 Let's pray together. We are called upon to surrender 00:36:56.050 --> 00:37:02.210 to Him, to worship Him, to receive Him, that 00:37:02.210 --> 00:37:04.530 we might partake of the benefits of this name. 00:37:05.389 --> 00:37:07.829 Friend, have you received Christ as your Savior? 00:37:09.070 --> 00:37:13.590 Do you know Him personally? Have you invited 00:37:13.590 --> 00:37:18.449 Him into your life and trusted His sacrifice 00:37:18.449 --> 00:37:22.489 on the cross as the sufficient sacrifice for 00:37:22.489 --> 00:37:28.469 your sins? You cannot know God any other way. 00:37:29.309 --> 00:37:33.469 He said, No one comes to the Father but through 00:37:33.469 --> 00:37:38.539 Me. Would you in this Christmas season receive 00:37:38.539 --> 00:37:42.079 Him into your life? You don't have to do anything 00:37:42.079 --> 00:37:45.380 like join a church or be baptized or do good 00:37:45.380 --> 00:37:48.840 deeds. Those things are fine in themselves, but 00:37:48.840 --> 00:37:52.159 they gain you nothing in terms of a relationship 00:37:52.159 --> 00:37:57.039 with God. That relationship is gained by faith 00:37:57.039 --> 00:38:03.679 when you believe on Christ. Will you invite Him 00:38:03.679 --> 00:38:08.829 into your life now? Allow your heart to be broken 00:38:08.829 --> 00:38:13.389 before Him for your sin. Surrender yourself to 00:38:13.389 --> 00:38:19.329 Him and receive Him. It's not the word you say, 00:38:19.650 --> 00:38:22.989 it's the attitude of your heart. And those of 00:38:22.989 --> 00:38:27.150 us who have done that, is He Christ, the Lord 00:38:27.150 --> 00:38:32.719 of our lives? Is He reigning on the throne of 00:38:32.719 --> 00:38:35.119 our lives now even though He's not yet reigning 00:38:35.119 --> 00:38:37.460 on the throne that belongs to Him in the world? 00:38:41.440 --> 00:38:44.880 Are you living a life of misery laden with guilt 00:38:44.880 --> 00:38:49.219 over sins that Christ has paid for? Will you 00:38:49.219 --> 00:38:54.579 recognize that? He is your priest. He stands 00:38:54.579 --> 00:39:01.059 before God to guarantee your protection. Acknowledge 00:39:01.059 --> 00:39:07.179 your sin. Come back to Him. Walk with Him. Lord 00:39:07.179 --> 00:39:11.440 Jesus, help us to remember that You are the Christ. 00:39:12.539 --> 00:39:15.960 And all that that means for us, and for the world, 00:39:16.380 --> 00:39:22.619 for the universe, we worship You today. And we 00:39:22.619 --> 00:39:27.860 receive You. And we surrender to Your Lordship 00:39:27.860 --> 00:39:33.820 as Christ. Help us to represent you well in this 00:39:33.820 --> 00:39:37.280 season. And as we visit with others and share 00:39:37.280 --> 00:39:41.320 our lives, may we share you, the most important 00:39:41.320 --> 00:39:45.340 part of our lives, and help others to see your 00:39:45.340 --> 00:39:50.840 reality. If we pray in your blessed name, amen.