Jesus the Prophet, part 3

Think about it: the prophet telling the future is speaking the Words of God, too, since only God knows what will happen in the future. In a similar way, a Biblical preacher, is a prophet of sorts, since the faithful preacher speaks not his or her own words, but the Words of God as revealed in the Holy Scriptures. By God’s grace and through His Spirit, I stand before you from week to week, not giving you my opinion on how you should live, but trying as best I can, to tell you what God would have you do, passing on to you what has been revealed in the Bible. 
 

There are times when it is hard to say what God says, as it often is for prophets. When somebody is living in sin and comes to me so that I can tell them that they are not wrong, it would be a lot easier and agreeable to just go along with them. But, if I am faithful to my calling as a pastor, I must not tell them what I think, but what God thinks. Now, imagine a prophet who must stand before a nation and tell them that if they do not change their ways and obey God, they will be carried off into captivity, and see their nation destroyed. Welcome to the life of the prophet! 

As we already noted, Moses is perhaps the greatest prophet in the entire Bible. Deuteronomy 34:10-11 says, “Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face, who did all those miraculous signs and wonders the Lord sent him to do in Egypt – to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land.” He is not known best for telling about the future, but he certainly spoke for God, more than any before him or after. When he revealed the Law to the Israelites and didn’t claim that this was the best Law that he could come up with; he claimed to be only passing on the Law that God had given him. But he did make one prediction about the future which stands as one of the most important prediction ever made. Listen to this prophecy, because it is exciting and astounding. 
 

Moses prophesied that another prophet was coming. In Deuteronomy 18:15, he said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own brothers. You must listen to Him.” Verse 17 continues, “The Lord said to me: ‘What they say is good. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put My Words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him. If anyone does not listen to My Words that the prophet speaks in My Name, I Myself will call him to account.’” 
 

Why is this exciting? Because this prophecy was fulfilled through Jesus, whose birth, life and resurrection we celebrate during the Advent Season. Moses predicted that God would send a prophet to His people, to speak God’s Word, to save God’s people. Jesus was sent by God to tell the world God’s message of salvation. John 6:14 says this clearly: “After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, ‘Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.’” John 7:40 says, “On hearing His words, some of the people said, ‘Surely this man is the Prophet.’” 
 

In Acts 3:17-23, Peter, speaking through the power of the Holy Spirit, makes it clear that Jesus is the Prophet foretold by Moses and sent to the world to speak for God: “Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your leaders. 18 But this is how God fulfilled what He had foretold through all the prophets, saying that His Christ would suffer. 19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, 20 and that He may send the Christ, who had been appointed for you —  even Jesus. 21 He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago though His holy prophets. 22 For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything He tells you. 23 Anyone who does not listen to Him will be completely cut off from among his people’” NIV. 
 

Jesus is many things to many people. He is a martyr, a philosopher, a moral example. To some He is a stumbling block, a myth, a challenge. He is a Priest, a King, a Lamb. He is a mystery to some, but to those who are seeking God’s Word and His will, Jesus is the Prophet. Not a prophet, but The Prophet, the most perfect and complete manifestation of God’s Word. Is it any wonder that in the book of John; Jesus is called the Word! If you want to know what God wants you to know and to do, you need only look at His Prophet, Jesus Christ, the very Living Word of God.

Continued tomorrow