 The title of our sermon this morning is Christ Our Prophet. And we now come together this morning to continue our study of the essentials and an introduction to those theological subjects that we believe to be essential to the growth and the maturity of the Christian. We've been considering together in this series the person in work of our great Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. And this morning now we come to the work of Christ as mediator between God and man, wherein the Lord Jesus Christ fulfills or functions in three offices for the benefit of His church, namely the offices of prophet, priest, and king. And we'll look at the work of Jesus Christ in those three offices in three successive sermons, Lord willing. To begin, what do we mean by that word mediator? What does the word mediator mean? Well, a mediator is someone who stands between two parties as a go-between or as an intermediary. Most often a mediator is someone who settles the dispute between two parties. There's someone who brings two parties together. That is a mediator. Well, if we consider the work of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is perfectly suited to serve as a mediator. We know that He is the one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Jesus Christ is perfectly suited to serve as mediator. And He is the only one perfectly suited to serve as mediator or a go-between or an intermediary, an agent between God and man, because He Himself alone is very God and very man as we've studied. Our confession of faith in chapter 8, article 2 explains it this way. That two whole, perfect, and distinct natures, both deity and humanity, were inseparably joined together in one person without conversion, composition, or confusion. Which person is very God and very man, yet one Christ, the one mediator between God and man? In His role as mediator, Christ then is the only one who can reconcile us to God. He brings us together, so to speak. He reconciles us to God. Peter says that Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God. That's what a mediator does. Christ in His mediatorial office or in His mediatorial work reconciles us to God, brings us to God. Paul says it this way. That God has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation. Again, there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. In His work as mediator, the one who brings us to God, Jesus Christ functions then in three offices. Our confession continues in Article 9. This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ, who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God. Those functions, prophet, priest, and king, you can see that they're both mediatorial offices. Christ stands as mediator in His role or function as prophet. Christ stands as mediator, the mediator between God and man in His office as priest. Also, He stands as mediator of God's rule, God's kingdom, between God and man in His function or office as king. Both the functions are mediatorial, the functions are also messianic. They're given to the Christ, as we'll see these roles are essential to His work as the Messiah. Now, beautifully, we'll see that the three-fold office of prophet, priest, and king, represented in the title, given to the Lord Jesus, are represented by the title, He is the Christ, represented by the title, the Christ. Christ isn't Jesus' last name, He's not Mr. Christ. Christ is a title, and Christ means the anointed one, the anointed one. Jesus Christ, Jesus the Christ, is the anointed one. And the word in Hebrew is meshah, means anointed, anointed, or to anoint. Meshiah, meshiah means the anointed one, the noun form of that verb. Meshiah means the anointed one, it's where we get our word Messiah from. Messiah is the Hebrew word, Christos is the Greek translation of that Hebrew word, the Christ. Now, the significance of that title, Christ, is introduced in the Old Testament. There were three offices in the Old Testament where the one who held that office was anointed, or anointed with oil. Can you guess which three offices those were in the Old Testament? They were the offices of prophet, priest, and king. A special anointing oil was poured over their head, and that oil, that anointing, came to represent the Holy Spirit, or was representative of the Holy Spirit. Turn with me in your Bibles to Exodus chapter 30, let's look at this together. Let's look at this special anointing, Exodus chapter 30, and look there beginning at verse 22. Exodus chapter 30, beginning in verse 22. We have instructions here for making this oil, this special anointing oil. Moreover, in verse 22, the Lord spoke to Moses saying, Also take for yourself quality spices, 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much sweet smelling cinnamon, 250 shekels, 250 shekels of sweet smelling cane, 500 shekels of cassia, according to the shekel of the sanctuary, and a hen of olive oil. And you shall make from these a holy anointing oil, an ointment compounded according to the art of the perfumer. It shall be a holy anointing oil. With it, you shall anoint the tabernacle of meeting in the Ark of Testimony, the table, all its utensils, the lamp stand and its utensils, and the altar of incense. The altar of burnt offering with all its utensils and the labor in its base, you shall consecrate them, that they may be most holy, whatever touches them must be holy. And in verse 30, you shall anoint Aaron, his office was priest, you shall anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them or separate them to me, that they may minister to me as priests. You shall, in verse 31, speak to the children of Israel saying, This shall be a holy anointing oil to me throughout your generations. It shall not be poured on man's flesh nor shall you make any other like it according to its composition. It is holy and it shall be holy to you, whoever compounds any like it or whoever puts any of it on an outsider shall be cut off from his people. In other words, this was to be a special ordination oil for the priests, those priests who were set apart or consecrated as holy unto the Lord set apart for the Lord's service. Now incidentally, it's interesting to think about this text with respect to Psalm 133. Psalm 133, David there, referring to the unity of the assembly of God's people as being good and pleasant, right? How good, how pleasant it is when brethren dwell together in unity. And he compares that sweet gathered unity of God's people to the precious oil that is poured down upon Aaron's head and it runs down upon his beard and down the edges of his garments. In other words, a side thought here is when we gather together, when we assemble together, in other words, dwell with one another and we dwell and gather in unity all of God's people together, this is a picture. It's a picture of our consecration to the Lord. We, the people of God, gathered together are separated from the world to God, consecrated to him for his service and that is good and pleasant. David says it's beautiful. It's a good and pleasant thing like that fragrant sweet oil that runs off Aaron's head down onto his beard and down onto his garments. Now that's a little extra gem considering our current circumstances. We need to get back together in worship. It is sweet, good and pleasant and it's something that we miss, right? You can look that up in Psalm 133. No extra charge for that. Okay, so the priests, Exodus chapter 30, this oil was made for the purposes of ordaining priests, consecrating priests to the service of God. So the priests were all anointed and consecrated to God for their service. Now so also were the prophets and the kings. Turn with me to 1 Kings. 1 Kings and look at 1 Kings chapter 19. 1 Kings 19, if you're looking up verses on your phone or on your iPad, there needs to be an app that makes the sound of wrestling pages while you click buttons on there. That's what we need to have so we can hear the wrestling of the pages. 1 Kings 19 and look there beginning at verse 15. Now if you remember the context of this passage, it's the prophet Elijah on the run from Jezebel. He's had a great victory over the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel and then he's fearful. Fearful of Jezebel. Jezebel has threatened his life. So he's on the run. In verse 14, he says that the children of Israel have forsaken the covenant. They've torn down the Lord's altars. They've killed the Lord's prophets and Elijah cries out, I alone am left and they seek to take my life. Then in verse 15, the Lord said to him, go return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus and when you arrive, anoint Hazael as king over Syria. You see there's an anointing for the king in verse 15. Verse 16, also, you shall anoint Jehu, the son of Nimshi, as king over Israel. The king is an anointed office. And Elijah, the son of Shaphat, of Avel Mahallah. You shall anoint as prophet in your place. So the prophet was also an anointed office and often the prophet, the main prophet would anoint other prophets for their role in the prophetic office. Verse 17, it shall be that whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill. Whoever escapes the sword of Jehu, Belayshah will kill. Yet I have reserved 7,000 in Israel. All whose knees have not bowed to Baal in every mouth that has not kissed him. Now if you look at the text, the 7,000 are obviously not anointed. The 7,000 not anointed, but those placed in the office of prophet or placed in the office of king certainly are anointed. The prophets were anointed with oil. They were to fulfill an anointed office. And if you think about it, that office was also a mediatorial office. It was an office that was anointed and an office that was mediatorial. The prophets were chosen by God to deliver God's word to God's people. Chosen by God to deliver his word to the people. The priests were also anointed with oil. In other words, they fulfilled an anointed function or an anointed office and the priestly role was also mediatorial. And then also here in 1 Kings 19, the kings were anointed with oil. They fulfilled an anointed office that was mediatorial. Those chosen by God to rule the people of God under the ordinances of God or according to the law of God. Now what we learned from Scripture is that this formal anointing to these offices of prophet, priest and king, this anointing with oil is joined to a functional anointing by the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God equips them, empowers them to perform the functions of their office. So the oil becomes representative, if you will, of the anointing of God's Spirit. That's the way we see when we look through the Old Testament. They could not rightly be called a prophet, priest or king apart from the anointing of the Spirit. We see that in many examples, right? Saul, for example, anointed to be king but then the Spirit of God left Saul because Saul didn't function in his office the way that he was called to function. We see that throughout the Old Testament where someone may have the formal anointing but not the Spirit anointing, not the functional anointing, the empowerment of the Spirit. And the Spirit has left Saul, we see. So when we see then now the Lord Jesus Christ given the title of Christ or the title of the anointed one, it points us back in the Old Testament to these three offices anointed by God. Prophet, priest and king anointed with oil symbolizing the anointing of the Spirit. It's all the more reason, all the more reason that Jesus Christ is worthy of our worship. He is worthy of worship. Ultimately the Lord Jesus Christ is the preeminent and supreme end or fulfillment of all three of those prophetic, priestly, kingly offices of those mediatorial offices. He is the end or fulfillment of those three roles. All that came before him, point to Christ. All that came before him were mere shadows. He is the substance as our prophet. The Lord Jesus Christ is the fullness of God's revelation to man. As our priest, he is the one who gave his own life a sacrifice for sins. And as our king, he is seated at the right hand of the majesty on high, ruling over his kingdom, ruling over his people, right? Leading us to victory over sin and death, bringing in many sons to glory. He is our prophet, priest and king. He is the mediator, the one who goes before us in those roles to bring us to God, to reconcile us to God. And as mediator, he is the Christ, the anointed one, anointed of God to be prophet, priest and king to the church. Let's consider then Christ our prophet. Christ our prophet. The prophetic office has its roots in the Old Testament. There's a sense in which Adam was intended by God to be a prophet. Abraham is called a prophet in Genesis chapter 20, verse 7. Moses was considered a great prophet and when Moses feared speaking before Pharaoh, Aaron was called a prophet of Moses in Exodus chapter 7, verse 1. But the basis for the office is most clearly given in Israel's desperate cry for a mediator at Sinai in Exodus chapter 19. Come here with me to Exodus 19. In Exodus 19, God has brought His chosen people to the foot of Mount Sinai and He's purposed there to enter into a covenant with them. And when God comes to the mountain, the presence of the Lord is seen to be there in terrifying power on the mountain. Exodus 19, look at verse 16. Then it came to pass on the third day in the morning that there were thunderings and lightnings and a thick cloud on the mountain. The sound of the trumpet was very loud so that all the people in the camp trembled. And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God and they stood at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was completely in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire. It's smoke ascended like the smoke of a furnace and the whole mountain quaked greatly. You can imagine the scene, can't you? A terrifying scene. When the blast of the trumpet sounded long, it became louder and louder. Moses spoke and God answered him by voice. Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai on the top of the mountain and the Lord called to Moses on the top of the mountain and Moses went up. God speaks to Moses here directly. He gives Moses the ten words, the decalogue, right? The ten commandments. And then he sends Moses back down the mountain to deliver God's word to God's people. Flip the page, look at Exodus 20 and look there at verse 18. Verse 18. Now all the people, they witnessed the thunderings, the lightning flashes, the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking. And when the people saw it, they trembled, they stood afar off. There's this scene where God tells Moses to go back down the mountain and warn the people not to touch the mountain. And Moses says, look, they're not going near that mountain. You've warned them not to go. If they go near that mountain and touch it, they're going to die. God says, go down and tell them again. There's nobody going near that mountain. They trembled, they stood afar off. They were afraid, terrified. So in verse 19, they said to Moses, you speak with us and we'll hear. But let not God speak with us lest we die. And that was no empty notion. They were scared for their lives to come near the holy God of Israel lest we die. Moses said to the people in verse 20, do not fear, for God has come to test you and that his fear may be before you so that you may not sin. And so the people, they stood afar off but Moses drew near the thick darkness where God was. All of this means to communicate one very basic fact. God is holy and you are not. I am not, right? Very basic principle that pervades the Bible cover to cover. God is holy and you and I are not. Hebrews chapter 12, verse 18, describes the very same scene where in Hebrews it says, they have come to the mountain that may not be touched. It burns with fire to blackness and darkness and tempest. The sound of the trumpet and the voice of words so terrifying that those who heard it begged that the words should not be spoken to them anymore by God himself, right? For they could not endure what was commanded. So terrifying in fact in Hebrews chapter 12 was the sight that Moses himself said, I am exceedingly afraid and trembling as knees were knocking. Fearing to stand before the presence of God themselves, the people begged for what? Exactly, for a prophet. They begged for a prophet. Moses then would be a mouthpiece for God. They asked for a prophet and the Lord condescended to give them a prophet. Moses would be a mouthpiece for God. A prophet then, a prophet is a spokesperson for God. He is an agent of revelation. Rather than speaking directly or speaking audibly to his people, rather than that, God speaks through the agency of another. He puts his word into the mouths of his prophets and where the priest could be described as facing God on behalf of the people, right? Petitioning God on behalf of the people. The prophet could be described as facing the people, delivering the word of God to the people of God. If the prophet would represent the people to God, the prophet would represent God to the people. A good example of that with respect to the priest is the high priest who would enter into the Holy of Holies once per year, wearing the linen ephod with the twelve stones of Israel woven into his ephod. In other words, he bore the twelve tribes into the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice to God. In that sense, the priest, having first to sacrifice, to make sacrifice for his own sin, then he enters the Holy of Holies to make sacrifice for the sins of the people. He represented the people to God, you could say. The prophet faces the people and he represents God to the people by delivering God's word to God's people. A common opening refrain of the prophet would be thus saith the Lord. Thus saith the Lord. Meaning that the words that the prophet was speaking are God's word and the words that the people of God hear are as though God were speaking. They're to obey those words. Now the Old Testament text that best defines and describes this office for us is found in Deuteronomy 18. Turn to Deuteronomy 18. Deuteronomy 18. This is a locus classicus for the office of prophet in the Old Testament. Deuteronomy 18. And when we come to the book of Deuteronomy, even the name Deuteronomy means the second giving of the law. Deuteronamas, the second giving of the law. Now in the second giving of the law, Deuteronomy, the children of Israel have come out of Egypt that emancipation generation that came out of, they were emancipated from bondage in Egypt. That generation in unbelief disobeyed the word of God and brought them into the promised land or to the brink of the promised land. They refused to enter the land when God told them to go in and take possession of it. In judgment for their sin that emancipation generation wandered the desert for 40 years and died there. The first generation died in the wilderness. Now the Lord has brought the next generation, what would be called the inheritance generation, those that would enter the land under Joshua and take possession of it. He brought that generation back to the border of Canaan. Now their spiritual good, their physical good, their well-being is predicated on hearing and heeding, obeying the word of God. Like that first generation they are to obey the word of God that has been given to them blessings for obedience, cursings for disobedience. So Moses here in Deuteronomy reminds them of that. Reminds them of the necessity of heeding God's word given through the voice of his designated prophet. Now he begins this in verse 9 look there with me. With a command for his people to avoid looking for truth anywhere else. Don't go to anyone else for how you are to live and believe. You go to God for that truth. The immediate problem for them as well as for most people today is that they have a tendency to turn to anything but the word of God for truth. They are always wandering off after somebody else with a claim to truth. So he starts in verse 9. Look when you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire or anyone who practices witchcraft or a soothsayer or one who interprets omens or a sorcerer or one who conjures spells or a medium or a spiritist or one who calls up the dead for all who do these things are an abomination to the Lord and because of these abominations the Lord your God drives them out from before you you shall be blameless before the Lord your God for these nations which you will dispossess listened to soothsayers and diviners they heeded their words rather than heeding God's words but as for you the Lord your God has not appointed such for you in other words listen you're not to listen to palm readers don't dawn their door you're not to listen to horoscopes or fortune cookies eat the cookie don't listen to the tripe that comes on the inside you're not to call miss cleo you're not to call the psychic hotline you're not to call the carers maniac witch on tbn stop praying to saints the dead can't hear you stop praying to Mary the dead can't hear you stop trying to interpret your dreams stop seeking after self self help gurus stop running after false prophets stop listening to your heart run from anyone who claims to have a word of God for you unless it comes with chapter and verse right this world is hell bent on running after anybody and anyone who has any claim to any kind of truth no matter how far fetched it is rather than hearing the one who is the truth what has God appointed for us he's not appointed that for you what has he appointed for you look at verse 15 the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me a prophet like moses from your midst from your brethren in other words he'll be a Jew he'll grow up in your midst the Lord says him you shall hear and to say hear there doesn't mean just audibly hear it means to obey you tell your kids to do something they don't do it what do you say sometimes you're not listening to me no they heard you they're just not doing what you told them to do if they hear you that means they also obey you him you shall hear verse 16 according to all you desire in the day of the assembly saying let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God nor let me see this great fire anymore lest I die this prophet will be a prophet raised up by God for them who is the mouthpiece of the living God to listen to this prophet is to listen to the Lord himself to obey the prophet is to obey the Lord himself he speaks the prophet speaks the undiluted and authoritative word of God to the people of God verse 17 the Lord said to me what they have spoken is good I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him and it shall be that whoever will not hear my words which he speaks in my name I will require it of him in other words he is going to come into judgment for not heeding the words of the prophet which are God's words that one will come into judgment the prophet is tasked with taking the very words of the living God and giving those very words to the people he is not to mess around with the words he is not to change the delivery of God's word today we've got all kinds of those rampant who deny the inspiration of the Bible deny the inerrancy of the Bible deny the sufficiency of the Bible and they run around saying well we mean the same thing no no you don't it's just a matter of semantics no no no it's not use God's word when you preach from God's word the people are to hear God's word those words in the mouth of his prophets he's endowed those words with divine authority we're not to add to them we're not to delete from them we're not to change them in such authority that when the prophet is speaking it is as though God himself is speaking and the people are to obey that prophet as though God himself were commanding them we run into this all the time this issue of semantics we're adding to deleting from God's word the most prevalent way that we run into this is with those who will say ask Jesus into your heart pray to receive Christ no one in the Bible does it ever say that anyone is saved by praying to receive Christ or asking Jesus Christ into your heart the Bible doesn't say it and they'll say well it's just a matter of semantics we take that to mean x, y, or z in generally speaking x, y, and z aren't in the Bible either don't play around with God's words God has said you must repent turn from your sin and put your faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ if you are to be saved and by the way both repentance and the faith must be biblically defined as God has defined them in his word we're not to play loose and fast with the word of the living God heaven and hell are at stake here people's souls are at stake let's preach the unvarnished undiluted word of the living God now this would prove difficult for the nation of Israel this circumstance they find themselves in in Deuteronomy 18 this is going to prove difficult for them like many, many today they were prone to run off after anybody who claimed to have a corner on the truth and there were plenty of false prophets that arose who claimed to speak for God God tells Jeremiah he says an astonishing and horrible thing has been committed in the land the prophets prophesy falsely and my people love to have it so it's tragic isn't it the Lord says they have healed the hurt of my people slightly saying peace, peace when there is no peace for the wicked you're driven down the interstate and you've seen those billboards God's not mad at you God's not mad that's someone preaching peace peace when God says there is no peace for the wicked the Lord says from the least of them even to the greatest of them everyone is given to covetousness and from the prophet even to the priest everyone deals falsely the Lord says I've not sent these prophets yet they ran I've not spoken to them yet they prophesied so it begs the question then doesn't it how do you tell a true prophet of God from a false liar look at verse 20 look at verse 20 but the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name he's presumptuous that's someone who comes along and says I have a word from God for you someone who comes to you I have a word from God from Charismania today that's rampant in our country rampant to being exported all over the world the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name which I have not commanded him to speak or who speaks in the name of other God that prophet shall die that's pretty serious isn't it and if you say in your heart how shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken which speaks in the name of the Lord if the thing does not happen or come to pass that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken the prophet has spoken it presumptuously you shall not be afraid of him in other words you're not to give him any respect any honor any deference one of the marks of the prophetic office was not only forth telling the word of God but also foretelling the future and if a so called prophet being presumptuously foretold anything that didn't come to pass he's a liar you're not to fear him you're not to give him any deference any respect he's a liar the bible can't possibly be any clearer on this issue can it and yet you have false teachers and false prophets and prosperity preachers and a whole horde of Charismaniacs and others who profess today to speak in the name of the living God they are liars and they are charlatans they are liars they are charlatans no one should listen to them no one should send them a dime and yet people pour money into those ministries they are blasphemers presuming to speak in the name of the living God when he has not sent them they're not speaking his word that that travesty is deserving of death let that prophet die and that sentence you can be sure in moses' day that sentence was carried out swiftly that prophet would that false prophet would die today the lord has seen to it that there is time for repentance there is time for mercy there's time for that one to repent of his wickedness repent of the evil that he's doing and to turn to the living God for mercy in Christ again God said to Jeremiah in chapter 23 verse 25 listen to what he says to Jeremiah he says I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name saying I've dreamed a dream I've dreamed a dream how many do you hear saying that today how long God says how long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies at least until today this still goes on doesn't it in our day indeed God says they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart who try to make my people forget my name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor as their fathers forgot my name for bail he compares it to idolatrous pagan worship the prophet who has a dream let him tell a dream and he who has my word let him speak my word faithfully all of those in Charismania all of those who presume to speak for God should be abandoning every bit of that nonsense and returning to the clear revealed word of the living God preach this word and God says you'll turn my people from my sins if they had spoken a word in my name he says in verse 31 to Jeremiah behold I am against the prophets says the Lord who use their tongues and say he says the false prophets also stand up and say thus saith the Lord and the Lord says I am against them it's in the midst of all these lies it's in the midst of all this error that the Lord says I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren and I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him well that wouldn't be Moses would it Moses would die on Mount Piska according to the word of the Lord and the Lord would raise up Joshua Joshua wasn't that prophet the Lord would graciously raise up many prophets for the people he's described over and over and over again in Jeremiah as rising up early and sending them rising up early and sending them rising up early and sending them sending prophet after prophet after prophet in other words the problem with either the quantity of the revelation given by the mouth of many prophets and the problem is not with the quality of the revelation it is the very word of God through the mouths of his prophets what's the problem? the problem is our wicked hearts our deceitful hearts we are prone to forsake the Lord our God we finally arrive at the very end or the conclusion of the book of Deuteronomy the end of the law in verse 10 moses writes there has not arisen in Israel a prophet like moses whom the Lord knew face to face in all the signs and wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt before Pharaoh before all his servants and by all that mighty power and all the great terror which moses performed in the sight of Israel there's not arisen in Israel a prophet like moses the very end of the Torah the Pentateuch the first 5 books of the Bible there is a look forward in anticipation or a look forward in hope of the fulfillment of God's promise to raise up this coming prophet there would be great anticipation as prophets would come and prophets would go great anticipation for this promised fulfillment great anticipation for this prophet there would be many prophets that he would send to the people but not like this prophet why is that? because all those prophets were sinful all those prophets were sinful they're all sinners even moses considered to be the greatest of the prophets doesn't even get into the promised land he doesn't even get into the promised land he struck the rock rather than speaking to the rock as God had commanded him God punishes him for his sin all those that come before this prophet point to him the anticipation is building anticipation is building from Deuteronomy chapter 18 it's apparent that God has in mind not many prophets not a series or a succession of prophets but a prophet singular that one will be a prophet like moses a prophet raised up from among the people of Israel that one in other words he'll be born among them he'll live among them he'll grow up among them that one will be given God's own words to proclaim to the people that one will speak with God's own authority that one will speak in God's own name and God's own people will hear him well who is this promised prophet revealed to us in the Old Testament who is this highly anticipated and looked for prophet who is the prophet who would be someone better than all of those prophets who is the one to whom all of those prophets point we look to the New Testament for that revelation in the fullness of time God sends forth his son turn with me to Luke chapter 4 Luke chapter 4 in the fullness of time God sends forth his son born of a woman to the law to redeem us he would be the prophet that was prophesied look at Luke chapter 4 look there beginning at verse 16 so he the Lord Jesus Christ came to Nazareth where he had been brought up he had been brought up among the Jews raised up from among them and as his custom was he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day and he stood up to read and he was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah and when he had opened the book he found the place where it is written the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor he has sent me to heal the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and when the Lord Jesus Christ read those words verse 20 he closed the book gave it back to the attendant and sat down the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on him and he began to say to them today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing now notice here in verse 16 beginning in verse 16 that Jesus Christ isn't just anointed with oil the living God verse 18 the anointing oil was representative of the giving of the Holy Spirit verse 18 the spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach the gospel to heal the broken hearted with the balm of the word of God to proclaim liberty to those in bondage to proclaim recovery of sight to those who are spiritually blind through the word preached to those who are oppressed and he would proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord in other words he was anointed by the spirit of God to the office of the not a the prophet in John 1 they would come to John the Baptist and say John are you the prophet and John would say no they would ask Jesus multiple times in the book of John are you the prophet this is the prophet this must be the prophet listen to John chapter 12 verse 44 just days before his death Jesus is in Jerusalem and he cries out and says he who believes in me believes not in me but in him who sent me and he who sees me sees him who sent me I have come as a light into the world but whoever believes in me should not abide in darkness and if anyone hears my words and does not believe I do not judge him I have not come to judge the world but to save the world he who rejects me and does not receive my words has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day what does this sound like sounds like the function of God's prophet he says in verse 49 I have not spoken on my own authority but the father who sent me gave me a command what I should say but his command is everlasting life therefore whatever I speak just as the father has told me so I speak he simply repeating Deuteronomy chapter 18 verse 18 I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak to them all that I command him Lord Jesus Christ takes up then the mantle of the prophet promised by God turn with me to Acts chapter 3 turn to Acts chapter 3 in Acts chapter 3 Peter is preaching on Solomon's porch after healing the man who is born lame he heals the man people a crowd gathers Peter begins to preach and he says to them you have killed the prince of life and God has raised from the dead then he says in verse 17 yet now brethren I know that you did it in ignorance as did also your rulers but those things which God foretold by the mouth of all his prophets that the Christ would suffer he has thus fulfilled repent therefore be converted that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come the presence of the Lord and that he may send Jesus Christ who has preached to you before whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things which God has spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began for verse 22 Moses truly said to the fathers the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren him you shall hear in all things whatever he says to you and it shall be that every soul who will not hear that prophet shall be utterly destroyed from among the people yes and all the prophets from Samuel and those who follow as many have spoken have also foretold these days you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant which God made with our fathers saying to Abraham in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed to you first God having raised up his servant Jesus sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities that was the office of the prophet Lord Jesus Christ raised up to turn them from their iniquities Jesus told the Pharisees in John chapter 5 if you believed Moses you would believe me because Moses wrote about me Jesus Christ is the promised prophet of Deuteronomy chapter 18 the Lord Jesus Christ is not merely a prophet he is the prophet he does not merely proclaim the word in addition to proclaiming the word he is the word not just a mouthpiece for God but both the subject and the object of all the prophecy is God Hebrews chapter 1 verse 1 God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his son we look at the Old Testament we look at the New Testament there probably be many who would think to themselves well the Lord Jesus Christ is raised from the dead he is ascended to heaven he is seated at the right hand of the father certainly he no longer holds the prophet he is not preaching on the earth any longer his work as prophet is done his earthly prophetic ministry is over listen to the Baptist catechism answer this question catechism question number 26 what offices does Christ execute as our redeemer answer Christ is our redeemer executes the offices of a prophet of a priest and of a king both in his state of humiliation and exaltation certainly during his humiliation during his incarnation his time here on earth the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the role the office of the prophet but he does so also now in his exaltation seated at the right hand of the father Christ's role as the prophet continues even now in heaven in his exalted state how is that? how does his role his function as the prophet continue even now continues by his spirit by his spirit turn with me to first Peter chapter 1 first Peter first Peter chapter 1 and look there beginning with me at verse 10 in verse 3 to set the stage in verse 3 God has begotten us again to a living hope for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in verse 10 this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you now they prophesied of the grace that would come to you and I not just those in Peter's day but those in our day who would believe on him through their word those who prophesied they prophesied of that grace and for searching verse 11 what or what manner of time the spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow in other words in those prophets the spirit of Christ was at work in them as they prophesied of these things the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow to them it was revealed verse 12 but to you and I they were ministering the things which have now been reported to you those through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven things which angels desire to look into those old prophets the spirit of Christ that worked in them as they were ministering to us those glories that would follow the sufferings of Christ and his glories that would follow they were ministering to us through those who have preached the gospel to us by the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit at work through that ministry speaking of things which angels desire to look into his office of profit continues and his function or role as the prophet continues through his people as they preach the gospel in the power of the spirit as the spirit of God works through the word of God it's an amazing thought isn't it he's carrying on his three fold office prophet, priest and king even now in his state of exaltation the church is anointed with the Holy Spirit how? the indwelling of the spirit of God given when you are born again when we are born again the believer receives the spirit receives the spirit of God John says in 1 John John says chapter 2 we have an anointing that anointing is the spirit of God and the work now continues with the effectual working of his spirit within us his work as prophet continues even now through the church Christ as prophet priest and king sends out his disciples with the prophetic word what does he say? go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you and lo I am with you how is he with us? he's with us by his spirit and he's with us even to the end of the age he will continue that work until all of his elect are gathered in the blessed privilege of participating in that work brothers and sisters we need to be faithful in the work of evangelism it's through the work of evangelism his church today that his prophetic ministry on earth continues in the spirit it is an awesome thought and what's interesting is that's going to continue for all eternity right? apart from the Lord Jesus Christ we have no access whatsoever to God our only access to God is through the Lord Jesus Christ so for all of eternity even in heaven we will have blessed and wondrous and glorious access to the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ who himself will continue as prophet to reveal God to us it will be a blessed eternity as the preeminent prophet the Lord Jesus Christ reveals the word of God to us regarding our salvation the blessedness of God our Father are you being faithful in that work brothers and sisters are you being faithful to preach the gospel are you engaged in the great commission the work that he's given us to do are you carrying out the work that our prophet, priest and king has blessed us with let me ask you are you hearing are you heeding the words of the prophet the Lord raised up a prophet among us like Moses and his words we are to heed him we are to hear are you hearing the words of the prophet we have great need for the Lord Jesus Christ as prophet London Baptist Confession our confession in chapter 8 article 10 says that the need that we have for his prophetic office is our ignorance our ignorance that doesn't mean that we are too dumb to understand the way that he's communicated to us just terms of basic understanding no ignorance here means darkness it means fallenness because of our sin because of our fallen minds which Paul says are futile we become futile in our thinking darkened in our understanding because we are darkened in our understanding because of our fallenness we need Christ to reveal God to us we need Christ as prophet and because of the work of his spirit because of the anointing of the spirit we can turn to him in faith are you hearing and heeding the words of the prophet if you're here, if you're listening you've never turned from sin to trust in Christ alone God himself says I will require it of you in other words you will enter into judgment heed the words of the prophet the Old Testament the prophets really were God's prosecuting attorneys they were often come to the people charging them with guilt for having broken God's laws Jesus Christ in his office of prophet comes and proclaims God's word in our hearing even today so we read the pages of scripture and we are accountable to how we hear heed the words of the prophet turn from your sin put your faith and trust in Christ and enjoy the blessedness of his offices in heaven for all eternity all praise, honor and glory to Christ our prophet Amen Father in heaven we rejoice that you have sent your son we rejoice Lord that he is our prophet that he is the great prophet that he is revealed so preeminently so superlatively your word yourself he's revealed you to us we praise you for that blessed condescension for that kindness, that compassion that grace and mercy that you have shown us in him that he has come to declare your word to us I pray Lord that we your people would heed your word that we would take care to put our faith and our trust in him and follow him as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ obey his word which is both for your glory and our good I pray Lord that you would strengthen us by your spirit to do that fill us with your spirit to obey you fill us with your spirit to be faithful evangelists preaching the gospel to a lost and dying world fill us Lord with your spirit to walk steadfastly abounding in the work of the Lord obeying the Lord we thank you Lord for Jesus Christ thank you Lord for your grace and mercy to us thank you for this blessed time considering the offices of Christ as our mediator we love you, bless this word to our hearts and minds for your glory, for our good in Jesus name, amen