Good evening. It's a pleasure to see you again. If you would, turn in your Bibles to the book of Hebrews or the letter to the Hebrews. As we consider our topic tonight and over the course of the next, well tonight and next two weeks, we'll be using Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 through 4 as kind of our foundational text that we'll be leaping off of or jumping off of to consider these topics together. So I'll read this passage and then pray for the Lord's blessing on His Word. Hebrews 1 1-4 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 appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He 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. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. Having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs." Gracious God and Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Word and what it reveals to us about Your Son, Jesus Christ. We pray, Lord God, that as we come before Your Word this evening, that You would open our eyes and our hearts to see our Savior and all that He is. Help us to understand His work in our lives by His Spirit that He has sent to us. And we pray that we would hear the Word, the voice of our Shepherd speaking to us as our prophet. And we pray that you would use this jar of clay for your glory's sake. In Jesus' name we ask it. Amen. Well, there are many ways that we generally try to explain the person and work of Jesus. Many titles that we give to Him. He's called Savior. He's called Redeemer. Lord. Christ is the Messiah. The Great Shepherd of the Sheep. We call Him the Prince of Peace. The Lamb of God. Maybe there are other titles you have in mind that you think of whenever you think of who Jesus is. But there are three titles in particular that are really helpful and useful for summing up all of the work of Christ that He has done on our behalf. And in the 1600s, there was a group of pastors and theologians who got together and asked several questions of the Scriptures. They tried to summarize what the Scriptures teach, and these were called the Westminster Divines, just a fancy name for pastors and theologians. And in their exploration of God's Word, they came to the conclusion that Christ, in his role as mediator, held three primary titles or offices. And they ask this question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, number 23, what offices doth Christ execute as our Redeemer? And the answer they give is this, Christ as our Redeemer executeth the offices of a prophet, of a priest, and of a king, both in his estate of humiliation and exaltation. Now during our time together, I'd like to look at each one of these particular offices of Christ, and do so in a way that examines their initial foundation in the Word of God, and then how Christ fulfills each one of these offices for us. And so this evening, we're going to be looking at Christ's office as a prophet. So our topic tonight then will come from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question and answer number 24. They will serve somewhat as the framework for us as we move through this topic tonight. Those pastors again ask, how does Christ execute the office of a prophet? And the answer they give is that Christ executed the office of a prophet in revealing to us by his word and spirit the will of God for our salvation. And the point that I really hope you get from this question and answer this evening is this, is that you can be assured of your salvation, you can be assured of your salvation by hearing the voice of Christ in the Word. Be assured of your salvation by hearing the voice of Christ in the Word. Now one of the first things that we need to understand here as we consider Christ's role as a prophet is that in the Old Testament, God spoke to his people through prophets. That's one of the first things the Catechism assumes, that there is such a position as prophet, and it's right in doing so. The answer says Christ executed the office of a prophet. But where do we see that role or that office being expressed or displayed in Scripture? Well, if you'd like to turn with me to Deuteronomy 5, or just listen as I read it, you'll see this foundational office demonstrated here in the person of Moses. Deuteronomy 5, verses 1-5, we hear this, And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the rules that I speak in your hearing today, and you shall learn them and be careful to do them. The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Not with our fathers did the Lord make this covenant, but with us, who are all of us here alive today. The Lord spoke with you face to face at the mountain, out of the midst of the fire, while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain." So verses 1-5 here, we see Moses reminding the people of what happened when they came to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments in Horeb. Moses points out that he stood between them and God as the one who declared God's words to the people. As chapter 5 goes on, we see the people saying that they were so terrified by the voice of God that they begged Moses to be kind of the go-between, the mediator between God and them. And this is precisely what a prophet is. Someone who speaks on behalf of God. Now, when most people think of a prophet, they often think of someone who tells the future, who foretells something. And prophets did do this, but this actually wasn't their primary role. The primary role of a prophet was to declare God's will to God's people. So while they did foretell, their primary role was to foretell, to foretell God's word to his people. So maybe you could think of it this way. During medieval times, if a king wanted to express a decree or his desire for all of the people in his kingdom, what he would do is select a servant of his royal court to go to all of the towns and boroughs in his kingdom and to stand in the middle of the town square and cry out the king's declaration, the king's will to the king's In this way, that town crier was functioning as a prophet, if you will, of the king. He was speaking in behalf of the king. That's what prophets do. They communicate God's will to his people. And in a similar way, this is kind of what a pastor or a preacher does. He's an individual set apart by God to communicate God's will to God's people. Now that's not to say that pastors or preachers receive new words from God that they then interpret and give to God's people in the pews. No, they don't do that. But they do take what God's Word says and communicate that truth to God's people in the pews. Moses, as one of the first prophets, communicated God's truth to the people and so too did the many prophets down through Israel's history until God sent a very special prophet. You see, Christ has come to speak as the ultimate, final prophet for the people of God. And if you turn back to the text we began with, Hebrews 1, I'll read verses 1-2 again, and you can see that it is Christ who takes up this final prophetic role. 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. And as the Catechism points out, building off of this passage here, it's now Christ, it's Jesus, who exercises this role as a prophet. And we see that in the text here. He's spoken to us by His Son. And this is actually something that fulfills God's desire and plan for Jesus all along. In Deuteronomy 18.18, God told Moses, He says, I will raise up for you, or for the people, a prophet like you, Moses, from among their brethren. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. Jesus is the fulfillment of these words spoken to Moses. He has come as the final authoritative word from God, the ultimate prophet. the final prophet. This time, God did not have to speak through others to declare His will, but it was God Himself who spoke, revealing in fullness the glory and majesty of God. And it's not to say that the former words spoken by the former prophets were any less important or less authoritative, but the full and final revelation of God's will has come in Jesus Christ. So instead of the king sending a servant of his court to be a messenger to speak his will, the king sends his own son. A much fuller and clearer explanation of the king's will can be given by the prince. Because presumably, the prince knows the mind of his father better than any other servant in his court. And that's just what Jesus has done. Jesus the Prince. Jesus the Son of God has come into this world. to declare God's will. John tells us in John 1.18 that no one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him. He has made Him known. And we can be assured that Jesus' explanation is in perfect accord with the Father's will. Not only because He only spoke what the Father told Him to speak, John 12.50, but because He is God Himself. For I and the Father am one." John 10 30. And so since God himself has come and delivered the full and final message regarding his own will, we don't need to look anywhere else. We don't need to expect any additional revelation from him. So continued prophecy or additional words from God claimed by some are really erroneous and false. Because what can be said that's greater than the very words of God spoken by God himself already? All that's needed for life and godliness is given by the words of Christ. And maybe you're thinking, well, wait a minute, what about the apostles? Didn't they speak on behalf of God, and didn't they come after Jesus? I thought Jesus was the final authoritative word. The apostles wrote and spoke after Him, and we take their words as the Word of God. Are they somehow less authoritative or not needed? Well, listen to what Jesus Himself says to these disciples about His own will and about His own Word. John 14.26 says this, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name. He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you." So the apostolic writings and those that were approved by them are the words of Christ spoken by the Spirit. brought to their minds, inspired, brought through the Spirit of Christ Himself. That's why the church recognized that the New Testament Scriptures could only be those with apostolic authority. Therefore, any supposed revelation from God outside of the Scriptures is really void or empty. Christ speaks as a prophet in only one place, and that's His Word. But to whom does Christ speak? that final prophet. Well look at that Hebrews text again. 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. Now when the writer to the Hebrews says he has spoken to us, the us refers to the church and that's what the catechism picks up on. Christ executed the office of a prophet in revealing to us It was God's desire to communicate His will to all of His children and not to speak to some certain special individuals who would then interpret God's will in word to everybody else. Like they had to go through some sort of gatekeeper before anybody else could understand or perceive what God was saying. No, He desires His word to be given to all of His people, to be understood and read by all of His people. And to do this, He ordained that His words be written down. This is what the catechism means when it says, in revealing to us by His Word. He set apart these prophets of old and these apostles to write down His words. And these men were inspired directly by the Spirit of Christ Himself. And all the words they wrote are the words of God. Paul says all Scripture is inspired by God. The Bible is a direct Word from God given to you to show you how to glorify and enjoy Him. And these words of Christ speak to people in all ages. They speak to you. God had you in mind when He inspired the prophets and apostles to write down His will. Because just think, if you wanted to tell Great great great great grandson something and tell them something very specific and very direct How would you go about doing that? Well, perhaps in modern times would make a voice recording or upload it to the clouds of some AI thing could you know? Communicate our words and our characters and our mannerisms to people but let's say before that If you wanted to communicate something very specific very direct to your great great great great grandson Would you speak it to your son, who would then speak it to his son, then to his son, and so on and so forth? Well, probably not. If you wanted it to be specific and very accurate, what would you do? You would write it down. You would write down what you wanted to say to your great-great-great-great grandson. That way, when they pick up that piece of paper, they can read your words written right to them, directly to them. In a way, that's Kind of what the Bible is. Words written from God directly to you. It is Christ as God who speaks in the Bible directly to you. You don't need anything else to know what God desires for you. Or what His will is for you. Some people claim that they need the Pope in Rome to tell them what God wants them to do, or others say they need other religious books like the Book of Mormon or the Watchtower Society or other things like the Quran or even fortune tellers to tell them what God's will is. But you don't need them. You have the very words of Jesus Christ spoken to you in the Bible, giving you His will for you. Praise God that He's given you such a precious blessing. Sadly, however, there are many who don't recognize this blessing. There are many who don't understand or believe God's words in the Scriptures. And why is this the case? Well, the catechism answers that question as well. Listen to what it says. It says, Christ executeth the office of a prophet in revealing to us by His Word and Spirit. You see, Christ speaks in His Word by His Spirit. The Catechism is pointing out an important teaching of Paul in 1 Corinthians 2. If you want, you can turn there with me in verses 13 and 14. Paul gives us the reason why many don't understand or believe the Scriptures. And this is what the Catechism is getting at. In 1 Corinthians 2, verses 13 and 14, we have this. Paul says, and we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit. interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual. The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." So Paul is saying that a person must be given understanding by the Spirit of Christ because the words of the Bible are written by the Spirit. It's almost like saying that the natural man, the unbeliever, speaks only English, and the words of the Bible are written in German. The unbeliever may know and be able to recognize some of the letters, perhaps sound out some of the words. Some of them might seem familiar enough to sort of kind of make a little bit of sense. But you really need to understand German to really get the whole concept, the whole idea, the whole deep understanding of what is being written. In a similar way, a person must know and be taught by the Spirit before he can understand spiritual things. But Christ speaks to you by His Word and Spirit, we're told. Look at what Paul says in verse 12 of 1 Corinthians 2, for you who have been born again and have trusted in Christ. Now, we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. Because you were born again, because you are believers in Christ, you can understand the words of Christ spoken to you in His Word. And as you read the Bible, as you read His Word, the Spirit helps you understand what it says. This is what we call illumination. The Spirit illumines the Word. It sheds light. He sheds light on the Word of God so that you can understand what it teaches concerning God's will. And so what is God's will for you then? What is it that Christ, through the Spirit, is trying to communicate? Well, listen again to the catechism question one more time. Christ executed the office of a prophet in revealing to us by His Word and Spirit the will of God for our salvation. So Christ speaks in His Word concerning God's will for your salvation. The Apostle John says at the end of his Gospel, chapter 20, verse 31, these things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you may have life in His name. So the purpose that Christ has in speaking to you in the Bible is to show you the path of salvation. Because it's God's desire to bring you into a relationship with Himself. And how did God do this? Well, at some point in your past, you heard the call of the Gospel, which came from the Word of God, whether read or preached or spoken to you by someone else, your parents, your friends, whomever it may be. And at some point you heard that word, and you believed it, and you were saved. But God's will for you is not simply a one-time salvation event. God's plan is a salvation process. That process of salvation is carried out during your entire life. At the moment you were saved, you were justified. your sins were forgiven and you were declared righteous in God's sight. You were saved at that point. But from that point forward, you were still being saved, that is, sanctified, becoming more and more like the person God has declared you to be, more and more righteous, more and more holy, more and more like Jesus. This is part of the salvation process. So you are saved, and you are always in the process of being saved and becoming more like you should be. This is what the will of God is for you. That you get saved and then become more and more like the one who saved you. Listen to Paul and what he says in 2 Timothy 3, verses 15-17. Paul tells Timothy that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." So the Scriptures make you wise unto salvation. You are told about Jesus and you get saved. You're justified. but then they continue to work to make you complete, to sanctify you, that the man of God may be complete. The will of God for you is your sanctification. That's what Paul says elsewhere. So what is the catechism then teaching us through this question and answer? Well, it's teaching that you can grow in and be assured of your salvation by hearing the voice of Christ in the Word. Christ, as the ultimate prophet, is speaking to you in the Bible and teaches you about the gospel. That God, His Father, sent Jesus, His Son, into the world to earn salvation for sinners like you and me. He teaches us that He accomplished this through His life, death, and resurrection from the dead. And it's Jesus who calls out in the Word to you to repent from your sins and trust in Christ for your only hope of salvation, to be saved from the wrath of God and given eternal life. It's the voice of Christ who calls you to salvation. But friends, it's also the voice of Christ in the Scriptures after you are saved that leads and guides you into greater conformity to Jesus Himself. This is why the reading, but especially the preaching of the Word, is so important, so vital for our lives. It's God's means of grace for building you up in holiness and comfort through faith unto salvation. So know that whenever you open the Word at home and you read it, or whenever you come here and you hear it preached, it is the very Word of God, the words of Christ, speaking to you, teaching you how to live, declaring who you are and whose you are. You are a child of God. You were saved through the work of Christ. And you will grow up to your full salvation by listening to the voice of Jesus in His Word, preached and written. And as you read the Word and listen to it preached, you should hear the voice of your Shepherd calling you as His sheep. Hear the voice of your Shepherd in the Word who says, He who believes in the Son has eternal life. Hear the voice of your Shepherd who says in the Word, I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hear the voice of Christ in the Word who says, no one will snatch you out of My hand. Or the voice of Christ in the Word when He says, nothing can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. Hear the voice of Jesus in the Word who says, now may the God of peace Himself Sanctify you completely. And may your whole spirit, soul, and body be kept blameless until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, He who calls you is faithful. And He shall surely do it. Friends, find rest and assurance in the Word that you are who Christ says you are. And you are saved as Christ says you are because it is Christ Himself who says it to you. So how then does Christ execute the office of a prophet? Christ executeth the office of a prophet in revealing to you by His Word and Spirit the will of God for your salvation. Be assured of your salvation by listening to the voice of your Savior in the Word. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your Son, our Savior and our Prophet teaches us all we need to know about You and about ourselves and what we need to know to be saved. Thank You for the free offer of the Gospel that He gives to us in His Word. And Lord, we pray that You would grant us faith to trust in it and to rest upon it, to build our lives upon it, and to follow the voice of our Shepherd wherever He may guide us. Be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path through Your Word, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.