Well, happy Thanksgiving.
I trust you had a good time with family and lots of good eating and fellowship over the
! past several days.
So it's good to have you here with us this morning.
Those of you who have been with us over the last several weeks and couple of months will
know that we've been working through the book of Colossians.
And in this final month of November, we were kind of celebrating this month of thanks.
And as a part of this month of thanks, we have encouraged you to consider the possibility
of contributing as kind of an expression of thanks to God, but contributing a gift, a monetary
gift to some of our missionaries.
And so each week we've been kind of walking you through and giving you a chance to meet
our missionaries that maybe you haven't met before and getting a sense of what God is doing
in their life and how we can participate with them, not only in prayer and Thanksgiving, but
also in ministry.
So this morning we have the Reynolds.
Thank you.
It was on the tip of my tongue.
We have the Reynolds.
Greetings from England.
We are the Reynolds family.
My name is Cliff and this is my wife, Allie, and we are missionaries serving with ABWE here
in England.
We are currently involved in a church plant called Pathway Church in a village called Perton,
just on the outskirts of Swindon.
And we wanted to share with you today just a real brief update on how God has been at
work among us.
One of the really exciting things is over the summer we saw four people baptized.
And that was a really exciting time for us to see that as a new church plant as well, to
see people come to faith and also follow the Lord in believers' baptism.
Then also in October we had a holiday Bible club, which is like our vacation Bible schools
in the States.
Though we don't often do them in the summer, we tend to do them in October.
And it was exciting to see we had around 70 children throughout the few days that we had
it.
Lots of people that were serving in different ways and just excitement to be able to share
the story of the Bible, the overview of the Bible with those children.
Some of them may never have really understood that before.
So we're excited to be able to have offered that and to be able to see the kids interact
with that.
And then another really exciting thing is that we've had several people come to know Christ
recently, just in the last month.
People that we had been praying for specifically.
And it's exciting to see how the Lord has worked and has begun to help open their eyes
to their need of a Savior, them submitting to Him.
And we're just excited to see how they'll continue to grow and get connected with the church.
Yeah, one of the other things that we've been working on over the past several months have
been some documents which will allow us to move towards becoming an independent church.
from North Swindon Baptist Church.
And we've just finished the draft documents for that, which we're excited about.
And so we're now in a phase of discussing those with the church family and praying towards
becoming an independent church next year.
So we'd appreciate your continued prayers for us in that.
But it will be a real big milestone for us.
We're also really grateful for the partnership that we've had with North Swindon Baptist Church
that we're being planted from.
And for the partnership that we've had with Fraser Kay, who has been the pastor at North Swindon Baptist
over the past 17 years.
And in God's kind of leading in Providence, he has called Fraser to serve at Pathway
in a full-time capacity moving forward.
And so we're really excited about that.
He's going to be transitioning in January to the church.
There's still quite a bit that will need to happen before we'll be kind of finished with our part of the work.
But we're really excited and thankful for that partnership that allows us to be able to serve the village of Purton
with the gospel.
A few things that are coming up that is an opportunity for you guys through your harvest offering to be a part of
is our Christmas outreaches.
Christmas is a great time in the UK to be able to reach out to people that maybe don't normally come to church.
They're typically a little bit more open during this time to explore those things or to come along to different events.
So we're taking advantage of that.
And we are hosting a ladies' wreath-making event, which we held last year, which was very well attended.
We had all the tickets booked out really quickly.
And being able to make wreaths together, but then also to be able to share the message of the gospel with them.
Another opportunity is our children's craft afternoon.
And this will be just a time for families to come in and have like a drop-in time of just exploring different crafts
and making different crafts.
More time for us to get alongside them and get to know them.
And just letting them know that we are a church there in the village.
We do not have a church building.
We rent a community hall.
So when we're not there on Sunday, it's hard for them to see the building as a church building.
So it's great for us to be able to just continually reach out and help them know that we are there and to be able to have these opportunities.
One other opportunity is our carol service, which is such a traditional thing to do here in England.
We've tried to do it in a slightly different way, adding different stories and things along the way.
And we're excited about families that come in to enjoy the carols, but also to be able to hear the message of the gospel,
the message of the story of Christmas through the Bible, and excited about those opportunities too.
So you can be praying for us as we reach out.
That all happens in December.
It's a busy month, but it's an exciting month to be able to celebrate the birth of our Savior
and be able to share the good news of him with others in our community.
Yeah, and so hopefully that just gives you a little bit of an update from us.
It's really exciting what God's doing, and we're continuing to pray that we'll see more fruit that would abound to his glory.
And we are really thankful for your partnership in us being able to be here, both financially and prayer,
as you continue to support us, hold the ropes for us.
We are really grateful.
And just as we come to this week of Thanksgiving, we just again wanted to express our thankfulness for you.
So I'm grateful for many of you who've already contributed, and this is the last week of that harvest offering.
If you still haven't contributed and would like to, there is a gift box in the back.
You can put your checks in there and mark with the memo, harvest offering.
So I trust that you will take advantage of that.
Well, we enter into the Advent season, and one of the things that becomes more and more clear
as we're moving through these kinds of season is the competing voices, the competing messages,
the competition for your attention, whether it be advertisers or whether it be the kinds of music
or political activists, whoever they might be.
They want your attention, and so the messages that you hear can be confusing.
We're bombarded by voices.
And so it's important for us to make sure that the voice that we listen to is a voice that's worth hearing,
and that the voice that we're listening to is a voice that is true.
That, of course, is no greater scene in The Charge of the Light Brigade.
It's a poem that was put together by Alfred Lord Tennyson in 1865.
It kind of captures a historic battle that took place in the region of the Black Sea.
It was between British forces and Russian forces in kind of a struggle for power in Europe.
What was at stake was control for trade and national honor and a balance of power.
In this moment, the British army found itself.
They were facing a Russian artillery.
And in a valley town of Balaklava, the commander's name was Lord Raglan.
And he saw Russian forces taking away artillery and taking them along a ridge down into a valley
where the rest of the artillery from the Russians was located.
So he sent an urgent order to the Light Brigade.
This was an elite cavalry known for its courage, but they were lightly armored so they could make their way and do it quickly.
The order that was given to them was to retrieve that artillery.
But it was confusing to know which artillery the commander wanted them to retrieve.
Was it the artillery that was already in the valley or the artillery along the ridge?
The message was unclear and the wording was vague and the officer delivering it couldn't explain what the commanding officer really wanted.
So when the officer, the commanding officer of this Light Brigade read this message,
he commanded his men to charge straight down the valley,
down this deadly quarter lined with Russian cannons on three different sides.
And while some of the officers hesitated,
they understood the wrongness of this message and wondered why they were being sent into this slaughterhouse.
They still followed the order.
600 men mounted their horses and rode straight into cannon fire.
The valley exploded around them.
Horses collapsed.
Men were cut down.
And yet they kept writing, obedient, courageous, and tragically misinformed.
Almost half of the Light Brigade never returned.
And Alfred Lord Tettison would capture and mortalize this moment in his poem by saying,
Theirs was not to make reply.
Theirs was not to reason why.
Theirs was but to do and die.
Into the valley of death rode the 600.
Of course, this tragic story is a reminder of the devastating consequences of listening to messages that are wrong.
And the crucial nature of getting words right, messages right.
It's also a lesson that underscores the urgency for us to have discernment in what we hear.
Are we listening to words that lead to life?
Or are we listening to words that tickle our ears but leave us empty and open to danger?
This was also on the forefront of the Apostle Paul's mind as we worked our way through Colossians.
And you can remember the consistent prayer of the Apostle Paul who's praying for these Colossian believers.
Praying for wisdom.
We find in Colossians 2, 4-5,
You see, true faith is dependent upon true words.
True faith is dependent upon true words.
Are you listening to messages that are true?
You see, there is one who spoke a word that was clear.
There's one that spoke a word that was authoritative.
One that spoke the words that were life-giving and meant to arrest attention and rescue us from danger.
And so as we move into the Advent season,
We're going to be discovering and learning about this messenger.
And of course you know who he is.
He is the word of God who was made flesh and dwelt among us.
He gives these life-giving words to us.
These words of God.
That God has spoken clearly, perfectly, and decisively in his son, Jesus Christ.
Who is the very word of God.
This word that was made flesh was full of grace and truth.
And that word came to us from a...
That word came to a virgin named Mary.
And to her husband named Joseph.
In a little town called Bethlehem in the first century.
And it reminds us of the next several weeks.
That we're going to be looking at this Advent story.
Of how that word of God was made flesh and dwelt among us.
And we're going to see this perspective of this one.
This living word.
And the ministry of this word to his people.
Captured for us throughout the scriptures.
What did this word bring?
What did this ministry entail?
What did Jesus do?
What were the features of his ministry that we can see?
And how does his life encompass the totality of the ministry that God intends for his people to receive?
So this morning, we really don't have a text to kind of base our messages on.
But this morning I want to just encourage you to open up to Hebrews chapter 3.
Or chapter 1 as we get started.
Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 and 3.
We're going to see this fourfold ministry of Christ.
This fourfold ministry.
We're going to begin by seeing Jesus as the prophet, priest, king, and shepherd.
The prophet, priest, king, and shepherd.
Notice as we read through these first three verses.
Notice these three offices that stand out.
And I've kind of boldened them in the passage.
You can kind of see for yourself how these offices kind of leap off the page.
Hebrews 1 says this.
Long ago, at many times, and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets.
But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son.
Whom he has appointed the heir of all things.
Through whom also he has created the world.
He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature.
And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
And after making purification for sin, he sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high.
Do you see them?
You see these three offices of prophet, priest, and king?
Kind of elevated off the page?
As we continue to read through the book of Hebrews, we see this theme continue to develop.
In Hebrews chapter 1, verses 8 and 9, it says,
But of the Son, he says, your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore, God, your God, has anointed you with oil and gladness beyond your companions.
This office of king that is embodied in the person of Jesus.
And then as you turn to the next chapter, in Hebrews chapter 2, verses 17 and 18, we see,
Therefore, he had to be, speaking of Jesus, made like his brothers in every respect,
so that he might become the merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God,
to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
This ministry of Jesus as priest that carries its way through this letter to the Hebrews.
We see it emerge again in chapter 4, and in chapter 7, and chapter 9, and chapter 10, and chapter 12.
We're going to see this as we come to this in a few weeks.
This priestly role of Jesus himself and all that that means.
And then this letter closes in Hebrews chapter 13, verses 20 and 21, where it says,
Now, may the God of peace, who brought you again from the dead of our Lord Jesus,
the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
equip you with everything good that you may do his will,
working in us that which is pleasing in his sight,
through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
And this work of Christ as being shepherd of his people.
We find in Christ the convergence of these four offices.
Three of which kind of come from the Old Testament.
This prophet, priest, and kin.
We're going to look at them in just a moment here.
But also the emergence of this additional office of shepherd.
And you might know them as elders or pastors.
We find in Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11,
And he gave, speaking of Jesus, he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists,
the shepherds and teachers.
This office of shepherd and leadership and teaching.
Their oversight that God uses in the new covenant community to lead his people.
Positions of leadership of all of these men.
Collectively ordained to lead the people of God.
But ultimately they culminate to describe the perfect leadership of Jesus himself.
As we saw in our study through Colossians,
they were just a shadow of the substance that was to come.
Those promises and those symbols that were contained in the Old Testament
pointed forward to something specific, something physical, something greater.
Those who are acquainted with the scripture will know that these designations,
prophet, priest, and king, also find their origins in the Old Testament.
And so not surprisingly, these four offices are described.
They're described in the book of Deuteronomy.
And I just want to, we have some slides.
I want to just kind of take you through a bit of a journey.
We see instructions for leadership.
And I want you to notice these four offices that find their way in the Old Testament.
These instructions for leaders to judges first in Deuteronomy 16,
to kings in Deuteronomy 17,
to priests in Deuteronomy 18,
to prophets in Deuteronomy 18.
Notice the progression that's taking place.
Notice the grouping that's happening.
Notice the instructions to leaders that are here in this passage,
this retelling of the law.
And that's essentially what Deuteronomy means.
It means second law.
It's not an additional law.
It's a retelling of the original law
as the people are preparing to move their way into the promised land.
It begins with instructions to judges.
They were to be righteous, impartial, and God-fearing.
They weren't merely legal arbiters.
But they were to lead God's people into righteousness.
Then we find God's instructions to kings in Deuteronomy 17.
And we find that kings were to be among the very people of Israel.
They were to not acquire for themselves many wives,
or many horses,
or to acquire excessive silver.
And one of the predominant features that we find of kings
given to the Old Testament kings
was these instructions for them
to also write for themselves a copy of the law.
It's interesting.
They were to write this copy of the law.
It was to be approved by the Levitical priests.
And then the promise was it would be well with them,
and that he would read that copy of the law
all the days of his life.
The intent was to learn to fear the Lord,
to keep his statutes, his words,
so that his heart would be humble,
and so that he would not turn aside from the commands
that God had given to him.
These instructions that God had given to kings,
and we're going to talk about that more
as we make our way through this series.
But his instructions to priests we find in Deuteronomy 18.
They were hand-selected to serve the people.
Their life was meant to be a model of dedication.
They were to depend upon the support
that would come from the other tribes.
They stood there to intercede for the people.
They were there to atone for their sins
as representatives of God.
They were to defend God's truth.
They were to understand and to defend that truth
before the people.
And then his instructions of prophets,
which we'll get to more in just a moment.
So it's easy to see this three-fold office,
this office of prophet, priest, and king.
But maybe you're asking yourself the question,
well, what about judges?
How did judges fit into this equation?
Well, judges were tasked with upholding righteousness.
With judging without partiality.
They had the function of delivering God's people
on numerous occasions.
So we find in Jesus this convergence
of this shepherding role.
I want to draw your attention to 2 Samuel 5, verse 2.
Notice this statement about judges
and how it's coupled with shepherding.
In times past when Saul was king over us,
it was you who led out and brought in Israel.
And the Lord said to you,
you shall be shepherd of my people Israel,
and you shall be prince over Israel.
This role of judges in executing
some shepherding responsibility,
some care over the people.
And then in 2 Samuel 7,
excuse me,
there we go.
In the places where I have moved
with all the people of Israel,
did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel,
whom I commanded to shepherd my people?
Israel saying,
why have you not built a house for me?
God is speaking directly to judges here.
Judges who were intended to shepherd God's people.
And then God allows,
then David,
and I got the passages mixed up,
in chapter 5, verse 2,
David is one who is now commissioned
with this role of shepherding God's people
as king over Israel.
And so now this convergence of leadership.
Now judges who executed leadership,
and now kings who would also carry out that leadership
and would do it as a tender shepherd
would oversee their people.
David is this model of a shepherd king
and a portrait of the ultimate shepherd,
Jesus Christ.
So we're going to turn our attention
to the office of prophets.
And that's trying to lay for you
kind of a case for why we're talking about
prophet priests and kings
and then shepherds.
We're going to see this role of shepherds
in how they play out throughout the scripture.
So who were prophets?
Well, we see, first of all,
the prophet that God promised.
There was a prophet that God promised.
We find that in Deuteronomy, chapter 18, verse 15.
It says,
The Lord your God will raise up for you
a prophet like me
from among your brothers.
It is to him you shall listen.
So God is speaking to Moses
and promising that he's going to raise up
a prophet like Moses
to shepherd the people.
Verse 18,
I will raise up for them a prophet like you
from among their brothers.
And I will put my words in his mouth
and he shall speak to them
all that I have commanded.
And whoever will not listen to my words
that he shall speak in my name,
I myself will require it of him.
This prophetic ministry of Moses was epic.
And those of you who know the story of Moses
will come to understand the role that he played.
He was one of two figures,
both Moses and Elijah,
whose words were not only accompanied by authority,
but were also accompanied by miracles.
This working of God through them
to confirm his message,
to validate it.
And God did the same for Moses,
confirming his message through his power.
Moses will become the leader of God's people.
He will be instrumentally used of God
to lead the people out of Egypt.
He becomes this mediator of the Mosaic covenant
as they're standing there at Mount Sinai.
This basis of relationship,
this invitation that God makes to his people,
inviting them in to relationship with him.
Setting forth these conditions,
you will be a treasured possession among my people.
Kingdom of priests, a holy nation.
But the prominent feature that God draws attention to,
that we see here in Deuteronomy,
is this office of prophet that God had given to Moses.
Deuteronomy gives this sense of what was required to be a prophet.
As we have read through this passage,
we see first that he will speak God's words.
You see that in verse 18.
I will put my words in his mouth.
487 times you find throughout the Old Testament,
thus says the Lord.
If we add this phrase,
thus declares the Lord,
or the phrase the word of the Lord came,
or the phrase says the Lord,
or the Lord spoke,
you get to 1600 times throughout the Old Testament
that prophets spoke the words of God,
and only the words of God.
You see, a prophet was meant to deliver God's word,
not his own opinion.
His task was to deliver the word that he heard,
not to invent new words.
He spoke from divine command,
not personal preference.
He did not speak the words he thought the people wanted to hear.
He spoke the words that had been delivered to him
directly from the mouth of God.
He must speak the words of God.
Second, he will speak with God's authority.
Notice in verse 18 of Deuteronomy,
or verse 19,
it says,
whoever will not listen to my words,
that he shall speak in my name,
I myself will require it of him.
In other words,
I will hold him personally accountable.
I will deal with him myself.
I will judge him.
You see, since the prophet speaks the words of God,
he is speaking with the authority of God.
And those words that carry authority
will be judged.
Third,
his words will always prove true.
As we continue our way in Deuteronomy chapter 18,
we come to verse 20,
and it says this,
but the prophet,
who presumes to speak a word in my name
that I have not commanded him to speak,
that same prophet shall die.
And if you say in your heart,
how will we know
the words of the Lord has spoken,
or not spoken?
When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord,
if the word does not come to pass,
or come true,
that is a word that the Lord has not spoken.
The prophet has spoken it presumptuously.
You need not be afraid of him.
You see,
this is a serious test of credibility.
If you speak my words,
the prophecies that you make will come true.
And there will be consequences for false prophets.
Those consequences were severe.
And those severe consequences were meant to keep in check,
and to filter out those false prophets
from speaking presumptuously.
Fourth,
his life will be marked by faithfulness.
Deuteronomy chapter 13,
we go back just a few chapters,
and we see this.
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams
arises among you,
and gives you a sign or wonder,
and the sign or wonder that he tells you
comes to pass.
And if he says,
let us go after other gods,
which you have not known,
and let us serve them,
you shall not listen to the words of that prophet,
or that dreamer of dreams,
for the Lord your God is testing you.
But that prophet,
or that dreamer of dreams,
shall be put to death,
because he has taught rebellion
against the Lord your God.
You see this other test?
He's speaking words.
Those words come true.
But there's something wrong about his life.
His life does not match his words.
His life does not match his message.
You see,
a life of faithful devotion
is what God requires of prophets.
Not a life of inconsistency,
but a life that represents
the very words that the prophet speaks.
This serves as a warning to us.
Do our lives match our message?
Do the people that we listen to,
the people that we follow,
the people on the podcast,
the music that we fill our minds and hearts with,
do they live lives that are consistent
with the scripture?
Do they reflect the image of Christ?
Do they embody holiness?
Do they embody humility?
Do you see in them a pursuit of peace?
Is there a desire for unity?
A courage to defend truth?
A self-sacrificing,
laying down kind of nature?
A dedication to growing in wisdom?
A prayer for the saints?
And all of these things we would expect
of those forth-telling,
those prophetic voices,
those messengers who are delivering
the word of God to us,
are they consistently living out
that word in their life?
You see,
God promised that he would raise up
such a prophet.
And that prophet,
and that promise was repeated
throughout the New Testament.
We find it again in Acts chapter 3,
verses 22 to 24.
Moses said,
The Lord God will raise up for you
a prophet like me
from among your brothers.
You shall listen to him
in whatever he tells you.
And it shall be that every soul
who does not listen to that prophet
shall be destroyed from the people.
And all the prophets
who have spoken from Samuel
and those who came after him
also proclaimed these days.
The day is coming.
A prophet that's better than Moses
will be here.
Look for him.
Watch for him.
And in fact,
God honored that promise
in his son, Jesus.
The true and greater prophet
who spoke the very words of God,
whose words carried the authority of God,
whose message always proved true,
and whose life always matched that message.
Jesus is the fulfillment
of that promise.
And so,
while we see the promise,
we also see now
the prophet that God sent.
Who was this prophet
that God sent?
And of course you know the answer.
That Jesus was that perfect,
promised prophet.
We see him throughout the New Testament.
We see his authority
through the Gospels.
In Matthew chapter 7,
verses 27 and 29.
And when Jesus finished these sayings,
the crowds were astonished
at his teaching,
for he was teaching them
as one who had authority,
and not as the scribes.
Teaching with authority
as a prophet.
This greater prophet
was found in Jesus himself.
We also see in Christ
him speaking God's words.
John chapter 7, verse 16 says this,
So Jesus answered them,
My teaching is not mine,
but his who sent me.
In John 8, 28,
So Jesus said to them,
When you have lifted up
the Son of Man,
then you will know
that I am he,
and that I do nothing
on my own authority,
but I speak
just as the Father
has taught me.
Then in John chapter 12,
verses 49 to 50,
For I have not spoken
on my own authority,
but the Father
who has sent me
has himself
given me a commandment.
What to say
and what to speak.
And I know
that his commandment
is eternal.
What I say,
therefore I say
as the Father
has told me.
The Father himself
has given me the words
and I have submitted myself
to his authority
to only speak the words
the Father
has placed in my mouth.
As this perfect prophet
and as the one
you would expect.
His message
was also consistently
proved true.
There's so many examples.
I just want to mention
them briefly.
Matthew 26, verse 34,
where Jesus says,
Peter,
you're going to deny me
three times.
And it happened.
In John chapter 13,
verse 21,
speaking of Judas,
one of you
will betray me.
And then three times
Jesus predicted
his death
and his resurrection.
In Luke 9, 21.
In Luke 9, 44.
In Luke 18, 31.
Jesus also said
the word of God
will be preached
across the world.
Matthew chapter 24,
verse 14.
In Acts chapter 1,
verse 8,
he says much the same thing.
He confirms that promise
by saying
the word will be preached
in Jerusalem,
in all Judea,
in Samaria,
in the uttermost parts
of the earth.
And that Christ
would send
his Holy Spirit
to empower
his people.
In Matthew 24,
verse 5,
Jesus predicted,
many false prophets
will come
in my name.
And on and on
the list
of promises
and prophecies
that Jesus spoke
came true.
You can trust
his word.
It's dependable.
He is the greater prophet.
prophet.
And then we see
his life
that matched
his message.
John chapter 14,
verses 8 to 11.
You're familiar
with this passage.
This is in the upper room
and Jesus is having
this conversation
with his disciples.
And he says to Philip,
or Philip says to him,
Lord,
show us the Father
and it's enough
for us.
And Jesus said to him,
Have I been with you
so long
and you still
do not know me,
Philip?
Whoever has seen me
has seen the Father.
How can you say,
show us the Father?
Do you not believe
that I am in the Father
and the Father
is in me?
The words
that I say to you,
I do not speak
on my own authority.
But the Father
who dwells in me
does
his works.
Believe me
that I am in the Father
and the Father
is in me
or else believe
on the count
of the works
themselves.
Do you see
the grammatical switch
that Jesus created there?
That he does not speak
on his own authority
there in verse 10.
But the Father
who dwells in me
doesn't speak his words
but does his works.
Do you see
the grammatical switch
that's taking place?
Jesus is helping
to create a correlation
between
the words
that he speaks
and the works
that he plays out
in his life.
Jesus' life
was marked
by the power
of the Spirit.
And that Spirit
not only showed up
in the miraculous things
that Jesus did
in multiplying the fish
in multiplying the loaves
in walking on water
but it showed up
in the miraculous work
of Christ
to carry out
this righteous
disobedient life.
His life
was a visible
portrait
of the Father.
Philip,
if you want to know me,
if you want to know the Father,
just look at my life.
My life
is this perfect
replica,
this perfect picture,
this perfect portrait
of the Father.
And it's exactly
what we saw
in Hebrews 1.
Hebrews 1.3,
He is the radiance
of the glory
of God,
the exact imprint
of His nature.
And He upholds
the universe
by the word
of His power.
After making purification
for sin,
He sat down
at the right hand
of the majesty
on high.
As we encounter Jesus,
we encounter
the greater prophet
in every extent
of the word.
This perfect replica
of God.
He was God
in the flesh.
That very word
of God
who came
to earth.
And that's what we find
in John 1.1-3
and verse 14.
In the beginning
was this word.
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.
And the word
became flesh
and dwelt among us.
And we have seen
His glory.
The glory
as of the only Son
from the Father
full of grace
and truth.
This long-awaited prophet
has finally come
in the person
of Jesus Christ.
That word
has come near.
Once seemed distant.
Once seemed silent.
Is now present.
This definitive
word of truth.
This prophetic witness
possessing authority.
Once shadowed
now is shining.
Once promised
now is present.
Once anticipated
now is alive.
Once heard
through the prophets
is now visible
through the very
prophet Himself.
He is God's
final word.
He is God's
decisive word.
He is God's
authoritative word.
He is the voice
that breaks through
the silence.
He is the truth
in human flesh.
No more confusion.
He is the word
made clear.
No more shadows.
No more distance.
He is the definitive word.
The final prophet.
The embodiment
of truth.
Jesus is that
greater prophet.
prophet.
We also recognize
that Jesus
is the prophet
we need.
Not just the prophet
who was promised
but He is the prophet
we need.
We see so many
advantages
to a God
who speaks.
We see that
a speaking
God
is a noble
God
because
God has
communicated
Himself
through His word.
We can know
His attributes.
We can know
His character.
We can know
what He expects
of His people.
We can see
His will
His promises
His plans
His warnings.
That's because
God is prophetic.
He speaks
His word
to us.
It's knowable.
And a speaking
God
also invites us
into relationship.
And I just want to
pause here for a moment.
I wonder
do you have
a relationship
with Jesus?
This living
word of God
who has made
His word
His gospel
clear
through the person
of His Son
Jesus.
He's spoken about
our depravity
our sin
that our sin
separates us
from Him
but there's a solution
that's provided
for us
in the person
of Jesus Christ
that if we believe
in the Lord Jesus Christ
we will be saved.
If we confess
our sins
He is faithful
and just
to forgive our sins
and to cleanse us
from all
unrighteousness.
Do you know
this prophet
this Savior
this word
of God
who has made flesh
and invites us
into this relationship
with Him?
We also understand
that a speaking
God gives meaning
and purpose
through His creation
through His humanity
through all that
He has communicated
to us
we understand
the mission
that He's called
us to
and the work
that He seeks
to accomplish
in and through
our lives.
A speaking
God
is a God
we need.
I love how
John Calvin
puts this
he says
God has so
communicated Himself
in Christ
that it would be
vain
to seek Him
elsewhere.
F.F. Bruce
says God
has spoken
in His Son
in a way
that leaves
no room
for further
or higher
revelation.
the voices
that we listen
to
will shape
your life.
Who are the
voices
that you tune
into?
Who are the
voices
that you allow
to speak
into your
heart and mind?
And whether
or not
you believe
it's possible
those voices
will begin
to carry you.
Those voices
will begin
to lead you
in a direction
and cause you
to believe
certain things
and then as
you believe
those things
you will start
to do
those things.
Are you
allowing this
definitive
authoritative
once for all
prophet
Jesus
who was the
Word of God
made flesh
to be that
definitive
voice for you?
Are you
tuning in
to His
voice?
You're
allowing His
voice
to be
predominant
in the midst
of the jumble
of noises
especially during
this busy
season.
Allow
the Word
the voice
of God
to be
that voice
for you
that clarion
call
to direct
you into
relationship
with Him
and to
call your
heart
to please
Him.
Let's pray.
Lord we're
grateful for
this Word
of God
that was
made flesh.
God we're
thankful for
this prophetic
voice
this greater
than
prophet
this once
for all
prophet.
God I pray
that you would
help us
to not just
recognize
His value
but that
our lives
would be
governed
and responsive
to what we
believe about
Him.
Help it to
cause us
to press
in
as you say
to so many
of the
leaders
throughout
the Old
Testament
that as
they are
immersing
themselves
in the Word
of God
that you
are directing
their steps
and you're
helping to
preserve
their ways.
Oh God I pray
that you would
do that for
us.
Thank you
for that
promise.
That promise
that as we
cling to
your Word
as we rest
in your Word
as we run
to your Word
that you will
draw us
not only to
yourself
but you will
make us
fruitful
in the lives
in which
you've
called us
to live.
Do that
work for us
we pray
in Jesus
name.
Amen.
God bless
you.
Have a great
week.