TEXT:

SUBJECT: A Prophet

A prophet is one who speaks for God. If you read the major and minor prophets in the Old Testament, you’ll find they never say things like, In my opinion…It seems to me…or I believe the Law teaches…. No, they’re more likely to say The burden of the Lord or Thus says the Lord. Though they chose their own words and spoke in their own style, they felt what they said was what God said. And they were right. Believe in the LORD your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets and you shall prosper. The words of the prophets are the Word of God. The Word of God is the words of the prophets. A prophet doesn’t interpret God or give his impressions of God, He speaks for (or in the place of) God.

There were many prophets, of course, but Jesus Christ is the greatest of them all. What He said was no truer than the words of Moses or Elijah or Isaiah, but it was fuller and more powerful.

They saw through a glass darkly; He saw face to face. What they said about God and His will was partial. What He said was full. Their words were preliminary, His Words were final. He was not in the line of prophets, He was the Prophet all others looked to.

The Lord’s prophetic work is not only fuller than the work of Elijah or Jonah, but also more powerful. All they could do was speak for God; they couldn’t give their people understanding or the heart to obey. But Jesus Christ can do both—and He has. He not only speaks the Word of God, but He opens our hearts to receive the Word and enables us to act on it.

Thus, He is the greatest Prophet and has the last word on all things. Beyond His word there is no appeal, for everything God wants to say, He says in Christ.

He is the One we remember at the table today. The Man whose body was broken for us is also the Man who revealed God to us--all the God we need to know is seen and heard in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer of Thanksgiving

Prayer for Blessing

The Lord’s Table.

Closing song—Psalm 119:18