The following is a sermon preached at the First Presbyterian Church of Jackson, Mississippi. Well, friends, as you know, over the next couple of months we're going to be taking a bit of a break from our study in the book of Acts. And Wiley will pick up in chapter 9, verses 32 and a couple of extra verses, I'm sure, as he continues that in February of 2024. It's hard to believe that that's just around the corner. and we're drawing to the end of the year. But as we do so, as we come to the end of the year, over the next three weeks we're going to, as we approach and as we enter the Christmas season, the Advent season, we turn our attention to the coming Messiah, the coming Messiah. That's the title that you have in your bulletins of this short series that we're going to be spending our time in. And as we consider the coming Messiah, we're going to be doing it through the lens of the three officers of Christ. the three offices of Christ, prophet, priest, and king. How does Jesus serve as our mediator in these three offices in which He functions and works? Now, admittedly, some of you may not be familiar with the terminology, the offices of Christ, but we do hope that over the next three weeks, as we look at each of those offices one week at a time, that you'll come to appreciate their significance and also see the application that it has to each and every one of your lives. But more importantly, that it'll cause your heart to sing the Lord's praise all the more as you're reminded of your wonderful and glorious Savior as He functions, as He does. Now, friends, the Scripture's teaching on grace and faith emphasizes that salvation is solus Christus, in other words, by Christ alone, in Christ alone. Jesus Christ is the only Savior of sinners. We read about that and we were taught that just a few weeks ago in Acts chapter 4. Christ alone is the mediator between God and humanity. Ulrich Zwingli, one of the Protestant Reformers, said this. He said, Christ is the head of all believers who are His body. And without Him, the body is dead. Without Him, the body is dead. In other words, in Christ we have life and light and everything, as we're brought into communion with the Father. Without Christ, we can do nothing. But to be in union with Christ is to truly live, for it's in Christ that we can do all things, through Christ who gives us strength. And that's why in our expounding of Scripture week in and week out, we are constantly striving to ponder and to reflect upon another facet of who our Redeemer is. how He has revealed Himself to us in Holy Scripture. It takes a lifetime for us to grasp the height and the depth and the width of Christ and all that He has accomplished for us in His life and in His work. Hence, this evening, as we embark on this new three-week journey, we're going to be looking at our Mediator in one of the offices, and that is the office of the Prophet, the office of the Prophet. Now, before we read from John chapter 1, that's a cue. You can take up your Bibles, please. Turn with me to the Gospel of John. We're going to look at John chapter 1 as the main reading, as we then go in to look at a couple of other passages. But before we read from John chapter 1, I could really identify with Wiley's statement from last week. Some of you may remember. He said, the tyranny of the bulletin. Do you remember that? It's the pressure to get a sermon title and a scripture text. And in this case, for today, it was nine days ahead of time because of the holidays. title, quite honestly, was very easy, but I was very tempted to write for the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation, and I didn't do that. But you'll notice that there are a couple of passages of Scripture in the bulletin, and the main one that I wanted to use didn't make it in, and that is John chapter 1, so we will read that first. So, let's turn our attention to the coming Messiah in His role as our prophet, and this evening I want us to look at this office of Christ under three headings. The first one is, I want us to see our prophet foreshadowed. Our prophet foreshadowed, secondly, our prophet incarnate, and thirdly, our prophet today. So, our prophet foreshadowed, our prophet incarnate, and our prophet today. Before we read God's Word, let's bow our heads and ask God to help us this evening. Let's pray. Our gracious and loving and merciful Father, as we come before you, we give you thanks and praise for your word. We thank you that you have given it as a gift of your grace. Now, Father, we pray that you would send your Spirit to open up the Word, to illuminate our minds, to understand and grasp how great and marvelous is Christ as our prophet. And, Father, bring these truths to bear upon each and every one of our souls, and we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. John chapter 1, this is the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world, and was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. Grass withers, the flowers fade, the Word of our God stands forever. Amen. I wonder if when we were reading that passage of Scripture you recognized the similarity, particularly verses 1 through 4, the similarity that John chapter 1 has with Genesis chapter 1. Theologians and commentators have diagnosed this and shown the similarities and the dovetailing and the cross-referencing between John's gospel, the beginning of John's gospel, and of course Genesis chapter 1. that the Word, through the Word, creation came to be, and then the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. And so, with that in mind, I think it's worthwhile starting in the Garden of Eden as we consider the topic that we have for this evening. We're told that after God had finished His work of creation, He pronounced, it is very good, it is very good. God walked among His creatures, And the Word spoke directly with his image bearers. And he said, eat and enjoy. Eat and enjoy, but do not eat of the fruit of the one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And of course, we know what happens. It didn't take too long before there was temptation, and before Adam and Eve disobeyed God, and they had to face the consequences for their actions. What were the consequences? Well, the consequences were that there was spiritual death. There was a loss of fellowship with God. And of course, there was also the physical banishment from the very presence of God. Sinners could no longer be in the presence of infinite holiness. And so they were sent out. And as a result of what happened in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, with their disobedience, as a result, every single human being since then has faced what is called by theologians as the triple dilemma. The triple dilemma. We are ignorant, we are guilty, and we are corrupt. We are ignorant, and so we need someone who's going to proclaim and preach truth to us. We are guilty, and so we need someone who's going to atone for our sins and is going to reconcile us with the Father. And we are corrupt in that we now need a King who is going to come and bring us into submission to Himself as we seek to obey Him. I wonder when you were listening to the story of Genesis, even in the midst of the consequences, there was also much grace, wasn't there? Genesis 3.15, we have God's first promise that He's going to send a Redeemer, a Redeemer who will bring life out of death, a Redeemer who will restore fellowship and communion between humanity and God the Father. He's not here yet, but He has been promised. Much is still to transpire between Genesis 3.15 and the arrival of the Christ in the manger. And so, for the rest of Genesis, it's the record of God showing how the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Anointed One, He will come forth through the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, ultimately through the tribe of Judah, He will come forth. And along the way, God calls and He anoints individuals to serve in the role as prophet or priest or king. And that's where the text of Isaiah 61 is very crucial. And if you have your Bibles open, turn with me to Isaiah 61. Keep your finger in John chapter 1 at the same time, though. So Isaiah 61. Here we're given a bit of an insight into the One who is to come. Here is the Messiah speaking through the prophet Isaiah. And please notice the reference to the Trinity that is given here, where he says that the Spirit of the Lord God is upon me. Not upon Isaiah, but remember, it's the Messiah speaking through Isaiah. It is the Spirit of the Lord God upon the One who is to come. And of course, we know that that was fulfilled in Luke chapter 4. Jesus walks into the temple, he picks up the scroll, he reads Isaiah 61, and as he comes to the middle of verses 2, he says, today this has been fulfilled in your presence, and he sits down. So let's read Isaiah 61. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Just up until there. I wonder as you are listening to that, do you see the reference to the three offices that Christ will fulfill? The prophet, he brings good news, doesn't he? The priest, he binds up the brokenhearted. And the king proclaims liberty to the captives and the announcement of the Lord's favor. That's why Jesus could eventually, at the end of reading that, today this is fulfilled in your presence, He could make that statement. Because He ultimately is the embodiment of the prophet and the priest and the king. In fact, it was John Calvin the Reformer, who popularized this distinction that is made in Isaiah 61. He was preaching a sermon, and as he was reading some of the early church fathers, Eusebius and others, he noticed that this distinction had been lost in church history. It's called the munus triplex, and it's about Christ in His threefold office as our mediator and how He is the perfect prophet and priest and king. He's all in one. Whereas in the Old Covenant, it is individuals who represent one of those officers, maybe two. Only Christ is the one who fulfills all three, and He does so perfectly. So I want us to turn our attention to consider, firstly, how our prophet is foreshadowed and foretold. How our prophet is foreshadowed and foretold. We see this in John 1, verses 6 through 8 of the text. It's very important for us to remember that there were many, many, many, many prophets of the Lord in the old covenant. Moses being the first major prophet who saw the face of God, who was called and then was sent. They weren't equal to Jesus in power and authority, not by any means, but they did foreshadow what Jesus ultimately would fulfill. And so to understand Jesus as our prophet, I think it's very helpful to begin with the prophets that foreshadowed Him. So we need to go back. John chapter 1, we read this in verses 6. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came, what? As a witness. He foreshadowed. And then it says, to bear witness about the light he foretold, he pointed towards the one that was to come. For what purpose? That all might believe. His name was John. He came as a witness to bear witness about the light that all might believe. In fact, it's a beautiful summary of the ministry of the prophet. Not just of John the Baptist, but for every prophet that has come prior to the Lord Jesus Christ. John the Baptist is just the last of the Old Testament prophets. But that's true of every ministry all the way back to Moses. In fact, Moses, in Exodus chapter six, the Lord says to him, I am Yahweh, I am the Lord your God. Go and speak to Pharaoh, king of Egypt. All that I speak to you. All that I speak to you. That's a crucial point with regards to the role of the prophet. All that I speak to you. By and large, the prophet was the Lord's covenant ambassador. The Lord's covenant ambassador. He was called by God. And then the man who was called by God was then anointed, typically anointed with oil, which signified that he was being set apart from all other duties and set apart unto the Lord. So he's called and he's set apart. The prophet serves as a mediator between God to the people, because that's who he's speaking to. And he's not to keep whatever is given to him by the Lord, but he's not to keep it to himself, he's not to add to it, he's not to subtract to it, but he's simply to be God's faithful mouthpiece, his loyal mouthpiece. That's part of the mandate. The mandate is simple, and you'll see this when we come to the life of Christ. They were called to convey God's truth, reminding God's people of the covenant that is established between God and his people. using threats of judgment if they live in rebellion, calling the people to repentance and then encouraging them to pursue obedience and holiness. Isn't that sort of what you hear every time you hear a message from the pulpit? we'll come to that right at the end. And so, recognize that the foreshadowing of Christ that is represented in the old covenant prophets is that they were called to proclaim God's Word and they were asked to remain completely and utterly loyal to God, speak every word that is given to them to the people. But there's another facet. Because not only did they foreshadow Jesus Christ in terms of the way that the calling took place and they were being set apart, but their message also foretold of the one who was yet to come. So there was a foreshadowing and a foretelling. Listen to Deuteronomy 18. This is Moses speaking. Deuteronomy 18, verses 15. He says, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me among you. So in other words, from amongst the tribe of Judah, the Lord will raise up someone who is like me. He's not me, but he's like me. And listen to this, it is to him that you shall listen. Moses is essentially saying to the people, you can choose whether you're going to listen to me or not. But when he arrives, you will listen to Him, because His words will be truth, and they will distinguish between the goats and the sheep, those who will believe and those who will remain in unbelief." He points us forward to our perfect and true prophet, the One who is to come. Let me just say this, Moses, Samuel, Isaiah, every single one of the old covenant prophets, They anticipated, they looked to, and they longed for the one that they spoke of. It's kind of like what we should be doing here in the church in the 21st century is anticipating, looking to, and longing for the marvelous return of our glorious Savior. There should be an anticipation as we wait. Is today the day? Looking to the heavens, longing and praying, Maranatha, come Lord Jesus, come. sort of like what was happening in the old covenant. They had been told that someone was going to come and so they anticipated and longed for that moment. They wanted the one to dwell among them, Jesus the Messiah. Now, of course, Deuteronomy 18 is actually spoken of and picked up by the apostle Peter in Acts chapter 3. So in other words, it's not that we're just making a conjecture on Deuteronomy 18 saying, well, it could have been the Messiah. No, Peter, the apostle, actually quotes Deuteronomy 18, and he says, that which Moses spoke of is the one who walked and who is now seated at the right hand of the Father. Acts chapter three. So Moses was looking forward. Peter was looking back in reflection, saying what Moses had to say about Jesus was true. Jesus is the true and the final and the better prophet. Are we looking for the Jesus that is spoken of in the Scripture with anticipation and longing with each new day? And that brings us to the second point that I want us to consider, and it's simply this. I want us to notice our prophet incarnate. Look at John chapter 1. See this in verses 9 through 14. Verses 9, the true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world, and the Word became flesh, verse 14, and dwelt among us. Friends, Jesus is the embodiment of all that Moses and every other old covenant prophet was speaking of. They that they foreshadowed and foretold about was now walking in their midst. Even Peter said that Jesus fulfills Moses' words. And it all begins in a manger, the season that we're now entering. Notice in Jesus' life that He was called and He was sent by the Father, just like the Old Testament prophets. He was then anointed, not with oil, but he was anointed with the Holy Spirit. You remember the passage at his baptism, there's a voice from heaven, this is my son. The dove descends as part of the anointing, the symbolism. And then, of course, the words that are uttered are, listen to him. That's the word of being set apart as a prophet. He's anointed to fulfill that role. And of course, Jesus himself declares on more than one occasion that he is absolutely loyal to his Father in heaven. He's loyal to God. Just one example, John chapter 12. Jesus says, For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment, what to say and what to speak. His commandment is eternal life. What I say, Jesus speaking, I say as the Father has told me." In other words, there's a loyalty. He is covenant-bound as the true and better prophet to say only the words that are going to be a revelation of the mind and the will of God Himself. That's why in Westminster Lodger Catechism 43 it says this, that Christ executes the office of a prophet in His revealing to the church in all ages by His Spirit and Word the whole will of God in all things concerning their edification and salvation. You want to know anything about the mind and the will of God, it is found in Holy Scripture. And it's the Spirit of God who opens that up to us so that we may be edified and we may know the path and the way of salvation, namely Jesus Christ, the true prophet. But there's one caveat, because we mustn't think that Jesus Christ is simply just a better prophet. Jesus is not simply another prophet or a better prophet of all those that came before. Not at all. He was greater than all the other prophets. Even the people he ministered to in his own day had opinions as to who Jesus Christ was. Some said that he was John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, and many of the other prophets. Matthew 16 tells us that. You remember the widow of Nain whose son was resurrected. She turns to Jesus and says, a great prophet has arisen among us. What about the Samaritan woman at the well? Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. You see, they recognized something special, but they did not fully grasp the absolute and complete uniqueness of this true prophet that was in their midst. That which is spoken of in Hebrews chapter 1. Let me read a couple of verses. Hebrews 1 states, In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, But in these last days, he has spoken to us by, not the true prophet, but by a son. This true prophet, who is our priest and our king as well, is the second person of the triune God. He's the son of God. Jesus was not merely a messenger of God's revelation, but he was the source of revelation. He's not only a prophetic teacher, but he makes his teaching effectual. In other words, it's not just simply words that come out of his mouth. No, those words are driven into the heart and they pierce and they bring change in the power of the Spirit. You see, he brings God's Word to bear upon our lives. It's part of the function of the prophet. Let me say one more thing that I think is an important aspect to bear in mind because Jesus is also very unlike every other prophet that came before him in that each of those prophets daily would need to repent of their sin and they would need to regularly offer sacrifices for the forgiveness of their sin. But Jesus faithfully is the one who fulfills and obeys the very word of God that he embodies and proclaims. He is without sin. Let me apply this. If you're a believer and you're sitting here this evening, please understand and recognize that you're a believer because Christ not only preached the good news to you, but in his death and resurrection, he made that news good to your dead soul. You understood what it meant when it says that he atoned for your sin. or that He died in our place, or that He set us free. You didn't come to that realization in your own intellect and gifting. It was the work of the prophet who opened your eyes to be able to see that truth. Not only did He announce an end to our sin, but He also made an end to that sin. Not only did He announce the love of the Father, but He actually showed the love of the Father. It wasn't simply words. It was His entire life that displayed a true prophet. And that brings us to consider the third point for this evening, and that's to consider Christ our prophet today. Christ our prophet today. You know, we've seen how the Old Testament prophets foreshadowed and foretold of the true and final prophet, and that Jesus is that great prophet. way, the truth, and the life. He's the truth who dwelt among us, and He's the one that brings good news, who applies and sanctifies us in the truth. And all of those things are true, but the question needs to be asked, so what? So what? How does this have any bearing upon me in the twenty-first century, upon you in the twenty-first century, and upon every image-bearer in the twenty-first century? What is the role of this great prophet some 2,000 years after his death and resurrection and ascension in the fulfillment of the Great Commission? If he came to seek and save the lost, to save his people from their sin, How is that good news to be proclaimed in every age, to every nation, and to every tribe, and tongue, and people group? How does Christ reach the nations? And how does He teach us as the church? How does He teach us as His sons and daughters this very day? Well, this teaching is twofold. Part of the office of Christ, it's twofold. The one is external, it's by His word. but it's also internal by the Spirit. External by the Word, internal by the Spirit. As the truth of His Word is read, as you read it privately, and more particularly as it is read in the corporate gathering of God's people, Jesus is present, and He's functioning in His office of prophet. When the Word is not just read, but it's actually proclaimed, it's preached, and it's opened up, It is Christ Himself who acts as our prophet to bring those truths to bear upon our consciences and upon our souls. Now the question is obviously, well, not everyone is moved under the reading and the preaching of the Word. There are many people who sit in the same pew year in, year out, and they still have not been changed for eternity. How is that? It's simply that the truth remains external, it remains outside of the person. And that's where the role of the Holy Spirit comes in. That's the role of the Spirit, the Spirit of truth. Christ sends forth the Spirit to inwardly apply and to teach the truth of the Word and to bring it to bear upon our lives, upon our consciences, upon our hearts and our souls, not just once, But every time we hear that truth, it draws us ever more nearer and closer to our desire in obedience to Christ. And hence, it becomes a word that is a lamp unto our feet, the theme verse that we have for this year. One of the Puritans, Thomas Watson, I think gives a very helpful taxonomy in its application. where he shows what Christ does by word and spirit. Three very quick points. Firstly, he says that Christ does, by word and spirit, teach us an awareness of our own hearts. He teaches us an awareness of our own hearts. It's the word and the spirit, he says, that work to expose the depth of wretchedness in our hearts. How true it is that you read God's word or you hear it preached it shocks us. It catches us by surprise, as it seems to be able to expose the depth of wretchedness that is sometimes hidden in the crevices and the nooks and crannies of our heart. It's hard to believe. Even as a believer, we sometimes find ourselves saying, how on earth did I think like that? Or why would I say that? Or why would I do that? Jonathan Edwards, who said this in his later years of ministry, he said, Now remember, he's been walking and preaching for many years as a pastor. When I look into my heart and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deeper than hell. Essentially what he's saying is who can understand the heart unless God in His grace comes to us to open it up for us so that we would flee to Christ. You see, when Jesus teaches, He removes the veil of ignorance and He shines the light so that we may understand the depth of woe, the severity of the situation, but also the enormity of God's grace to us. And so we pray with Augustine, Lord, deliver me from myself. Deliver me from myself. That's the first thing Thomas Watson said. Christ teaches us an awareness of our own heart. Secondly, Christ teaches us the vanity of the creature. The vanity of the creature. He says, every unbeliever strives to set up their happiness here in this world. Friends, if you're not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, this is describing you. Every unbeliever strives to set up their happiness here, worshipping the golden image. But Christ gives the repentant sinner the spirit to discern that all here on earth is vanity. Everything is in vain. There is no intrinsic good, only that which is in Christ and that is for Christ, and His glory is of any significance and meaning. And then thirdly, Watson says that Christ teaches us the excellency of things unseen. The excellency of things unseen. Jesus gives the believer a sight of glory, doesn't He? He reminds us of the hope of heaven that we have. He allows us to be gripped by things not yet seen. And He reminds us that our home is not here, it is in the glories of heaven, and we are seated right now in the very presence of our dear and beloved Savior. And that one day, one day, That which is believed upon by faith, it will be sight. When we breathe our last here and we enter into the glories and we see our Savior, and the only thing that we will be able to see as we see Him seated on the throne will be to bow the knee and to worship Him as the Lamb that was slain. But friends, until then, until then, it is Jesus as our Prophet who arrests our soul He gives us an appetite for the Word, and He makes us obey, and He makes us willing to learn. He gives us a hunger and a thirst like the deer pants for water, so that we will come back to the Word, and the Spirit of God will open up the Word and apply those truths to us, and we will hear truth day in and day out. Let me close with this. Colossians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul, he reminds us that in Christ are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. All the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Friends, never forget that Christ, the great doctor of the church, he drives out all our ignorance. If you want to have real wisdom and understanding, you need to flee to Christ and pray that He would open our minds to be able to understand spiritual truths and realities, so we can live as His ambassadors in this world. He drives out ignorance and gives saving knowledge to all the elect. To all the elect. Listen to the words of Thomas Boston, one of the Scottish Puritans. And he puts this question to us. He says, O sinner, are you under spiritual darkness and ignorance? There is knowledge and instruction to be had from Him, referencing Christ. He is the light of the world and can give you an understanding to know Him that is true. He can give you the spirit of wisdom and revelation and the knowledge of Christ. Happy is the condition of the children of God. Why? because they have Christ as their prophet who proclaims truth to their soul. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we do rejoice and we do give you thanks for Christ in His office of prophet. We praise You of how the whole of Scripture points to Him, how the Scriptures speak of Him, and how He savingly applies the truth of the gospel to ignorant hearts, moving us from ignorance to understanding and wisdom. Father, we pray that you would help us see our ignorance, open our eyes to see our need of Him, and then we pray that you would save us and sanctify us, and teach us to labor after Christ as our prophet, to seek Him, and ultimately to love Him with heart, soul, mind, and strength. Remind us that there are none so ignorant that Christ cannot teach and save. Enlighten my eyes and cause each of us to run to the Savior, even this evening. And we ask and we pray these things in Christ's name. Amen.