Jesus is a Prophet

Welcome to Southwest!

• Message Series: “Behold Your King” (The Identity of Jesus)
• Last Week: Who is Jesus, Really? The beloved Son of God (Luke 3:21-23).

Today: Jesus is a Prophet.

Prophets in the Bible— Messengers sent by God to share God’s word with the people. 

• Their messages could be comforting, challenging, or predict the future.
• It was a huge blessing to know the will of God through these prophetic messages.

Testing the Prophets — God’s people are told to watch out for false prophets — people who claim to speak for God, but don’t (Matthew 7:15, 1 John 4:1)

• The Test: True prophets performed mighty deeds and spoke reliable messages that conformed to the will of God (Deuteronomy 13:1-3; 18:21-22).

What Does it Mean that Jesus is a Prophet?

• He was sent by God for a purpose.
• He received a message from God that he was expected to share with the people.
• He helped people know more about God and about what God wanted them to do.

People Recognized Jesus as a Prophet During his Ministry.

• The People of Jerusalem (Matthew 21:11, 46; John 7:40)
• The Samaritan Woman (John 4:19)
• The Disciples (Luke 24:17-19) — “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people.”
• But not the religious leaders (Matthew 12:24; John 9:16; John 10:31-33)

Jesus Himself Claimed to be a Prophet:

• See John 12:49-50. Sent by God to share God’s message (not his own).
• This claim forces us to reevaluate the notion that Jesus is just a good, moral teacher.

Jesus Was Not Just Any Prophet. He was The Prophet. 

Moses was considered the greatest prophet Israel had. God promised to send another one like him in the future.

• See Deuteronomy 18:14-22 and 34:10-12.
• A Prophet Like Moses: An Israelite who would speak God’s words, perform mighty deeds, and know God face-to-face.
• God will hold people accountable if they ignore or reject this prophet.

The Apostles Preached that Jesus was this Prophet-Like-Moses That God Promised.

• Peter makes this point and quotes these passages in his sermon about Jesus in Acts 3:11-26, specifically verses 22-23.

What Peter Says About The Identity of Jesus:

• God has glorified his Servant, Jesus (v. 13).
• Jesus is the Holy and Righteous One (v. 14).
• Jesus is the Author of Life (v. 15).
• Jesus is the Messiah (v. 18).
• Jesus is the Prophet like Moses (v. 22).

What Peter Calls to the People to Do:

• Repent and turn to God (v. 19).
• Listen to Jesus, the Prophet (v. 22-23).

The Blessing and Responsibility of Having Jesus as a Prophet:

• The Blessing of having Jesus as a prophet is that we get to know God and understand his will for our lives.
• Our Responsibility is to listen to Jesus, study his Words, and obey his teachings.

Faith In Action:

• 24-in-24 Challenge: Read one chapter of Luke each day, starting December 1st. You will finish the book on Christmas Eve.
  • Start now if you would like to account for possible missed days.
• Life to the Full Devotional: Read seven passages in the month of December, all of which deal with the identity of Jesus. Printed copies are available in the lobby.

Application & Reflection:

• Read John 10:22-42. This is another example of a time when people asked about the identity of Jesus. What are some of the different views about him that we see in this story?
• Earlier in the passage, Jesus described himself as the Good Shepherd. What are the responsibilities of a shepherd? 
• On the other side of that coin, what are the responsibilities of a good sheep? You can look back at John 10:3-4 for some specifics.
• Jesus seems to tell the people that he’s already proven his legitimacy as a messenger sent by God. What kind of evidence did Jesus give the people to prove his identity?
• In my experience, there can sometimes be a gap between our knowledge about God and our willingness to follow him. How can we translate the things we believe about Jesus into an ongoing lifestyle?
• Go back and read part of Peter’s sermon in Acts 3:17-23. If Jesus really is the Messiah and the prophet God had promised Israel, what kind of requirement(s) does that put on us as God’s people? 
• What is something you feel God calling you to know, believe, or do after hearing this sermon and reading these passages?
• Is there someone in your life that you feel would be blessed by understanding this message about Jesus? How can you share it with them this week?