Hebrews chapter 4. Last Wednesday night, we had a message from the first 11 verses of this chapter titled, Christ Our Rest. Christ Our Rest. Look at verse 9. It says, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. Christ is that rest. He is that rest. A rest from the work of trying to earn our way to heaven. A rest from trying to please God. Christ is that rest. He is not a rest for this entire world. but he is a rest for the people of God, the chosen elect of God. Verse nine again says, there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God, to the people of God.

Now today, what I want to continue in is I want to see what else Christ is to us. I want to continue here in Hebrews and see what else he is for us. what he is in his person, what he is in his office. And I want to enter into this because it will tell us who this Christ is, who is our rest, why he is our rest, why he came, and what it means for us.

So let's read these remaining verses here, okay? Beginning in verse 12, Hebrews 4, Verse 12, it says, for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight, but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help. in time of need.

Now let me tell you what those remaining verses just declared our Lord Jesus Christ to be. Verses 12 and 13 said, He is our prophet. Verses 14 and 15 said, He is our priest. And verse 16 said, He is our king, prophet. priest and king. That's what we need. That's what we need and that's who Christ is. Christ was born into this world. Christ was born of a virgin. He was made flesh and dwelt among us because we needed a prophet. We needed a priest, and we needed a king. That's why he came, and that's what I want to focus on for one minute.

Christ our prophet, all right? Let's just focus for one second on Christ our prophet. Verse 12, it says, for the word of God is quick, and that means alive, that means living. The word of God is quick, and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight." His sight. But all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do." Him who? The Word of God. Him, the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word. Christ is the Word. Revelation 19 verse 13 says, His name is called the Word of God. And the thing we must know is the word of God is alive. The word of God is living and powerful and he pierces with his own word the hearts of men and women as he sees fit. As the prophet that he is, he pierces, and I'm so thankful for this, I'm so thankful that this prophet does this. He pierces with his own word the hearts of men and women as he sees fit. You never know when, you never know where. But thank God it happens. He pierces, the prophet pierces.

Now the definition of a prophet is one who has, or in the case of all the Old Testament writers, one who had, the very Word of God. One who was given and carried with him and delivered the very Word of God. And not only did Christ have the Word of God, he is the Word of God.

Turn with me over to John 1. John chapter 1. Verse 1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14 says, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

A great remembrance is being made today of the fact that Christ came into this world, all right? All through the land, a great remembrance is being made today because this is the Sunday before Christmas. And a great remembrance is being made of the fact that Christ came into the world. And what I'd like for us to get a hold of is it wasn't just a baby who came into the world. And it wasn't just a man of God who came into the world. It was that prophet who came. The prophet, the declared prophesied prophet is the one who came into the world.

Now hold your place right here in John 1 and let me show you something in Deuteronomy 18. Hold your place here and go to Deuteronomy 18. The heading at the top of my page above verse 15 says, Christ the prophet is to be heard. This is speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ the prophet is to be heard.

And Deuteronomy 18 verse 15 says, the Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a prophet in the midst of thee of thy brethren. Like unto me, unto him shall you hearken, shall you hear, shall you listen, according to all that thou desirest of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more that I die not.

The law was given, the law came down, the mountain exploded on fire, the holiness of God. The word of God was piercing. This is what was happening. The people saw this and they heard God's word and he was piercing them and he pierces every soul that he speaks to. He comes to every soul and says, thou art the man. Thou art the man. And he pierces with his law, he pierces with the knowledge of man's sin, he pierces with the knowledge of God's holiness.

Verse 17, it says, and the Lord said unto me, they have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a prophet, capital P, from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him and it shall come to pass that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

But the prophet, lowercase p. which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die." What he's saying is one prophet is going to come to you with one word of life. One prophet is coming with one word of life. Any other prophet that does not bring the word of this prophet will die, and the souls that believe the words of these false prophets will die. There's only going to be one word given.

Verse 21, and if thou say in thine heart, how shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? Well, how will we know if we're hearing the word of this one true prophet or a false prophets? Verse 22, when a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken. But the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him.

He said, if it's a false prophet, you'll know it by this, his word will not come to pass. It will not come to pass. If the word spoken comes to pass, you will know that you're hearing the prophet. You're hearing the words of eternal life.

This child that was born of a virgin in Bethlehem is that prophet. He is that prophet. He came because we had to hear him. The men and women in Kingsport, Tennessee must hear him. They must not hear the words of these little pea prophets, preachers, who are not declaring this word. This is why He came. This is the reason why He came.

Why did He come? Well, He came to, you know, show us that there's a heaven. He came to be a martyr for us. He came to show us the better way. He came to bring good in an evil land. He came because our only hope was to hear Him. We had to hear the words of the prophet. We needed the prophet of God who carried the eternal word of life. This is why Christ came. This is why the Lord Jesus Christ came. That's the very reason Christ was born into this world. He was the only one who carried the words of eternal life. The only one.

Now flip with me back to John 1. Verse 1 says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Verse 14, The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John bare witness of Him and cried, saying, This was He of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me, for He was before me. And of his fullness have all we received in grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ, the word of truth. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.

This is why Christ our prophet came to us. He came to declare the Father. Matthew 11 says, No man knoweth the Son, but the Father, neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and He to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him. Without the declaration of the prophet, We would have no idea who God is. And I'm going to tell you that that is the great danger of religion today. That's the sad reality of the world today. Men and women do not know who God is. They do not know who God is. Without the declaration of the prophet, we would have no idea who God is.

Verse 18 says, no man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten son, which is in the bosom of the father, he hath declared him. And this is the record of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, who art thou? And he confessed and denied not, but confessed, I'm not the Christ. And they asked him, what then, art thou Elijah? And he said, I'm not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, no. No, I'm not that prophet. But he's coming. And our life depends on every word that will proceed out of his mouth.

Now, let's listen to some of the words that proceeded out of his mouth, okay? I'm gonna, I've got, I don't know, eight minutes left, seven, Just scroll with me here for a second. All right, let's hear some of the words that proceeded out of his mouth. Look at John 2 verse 19. Jesus answered and said unto them, destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up. Did that come to pass? The only way we can know if this is the true prophet is by whether or not it comes to pass. Whether or not what he says comes to pass. Did it come to pass? It most certainly did. It most certainly did. God Almighty destroyed his temple. God destroyed his body on the cross of Calvary because of the sin of his people that he was bearing in that body. But three days later, he raised it back up. That now already proves to us that everything we hear him say shall come to pass. This is that prophet.

Look at John 6, verse 35. Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger, and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. That's the prophecy of the prophet. Verse 37, all that the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise casting. These are promises that shall come to pass. The prophet said so.

Look at John 7, verse 37. In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, if any man thirsts, let him come unto me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive, for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because that Jesus was not yet glorified. Many of the people, therefore, when they heard this saying, said of a truth, this is the prophet. This is him. This is that prophet.

Look at John 8, verse 12. Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world. He that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. He said, I am the light. He didn't say, I am a light. He said, I'm the only light there is. Outside of me is nothing but darkness.

Look at John 10, verse seven. Then said Jesus unto them again, verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. He didn't say I'm a door. He said, I'm the only one. The law is not the door of the sheep. He said, I'm the door. There is no other way in. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. No man comes to the father but by me. That's the word of the prophet.

Look right here at verse 11. He said, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. Did he do that? Did he give his life? Did that come to pass? It most certainly did.

Look at John 11 verse 25. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth on me, though he were dead, yet shall he live. Thank God we have heard the word of this prophet. Thank God we've been given faith to believe the word of this prophet.

Look at John 12 verse 23. Jesus answered them, saying, the hour is come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Verily, verily, I say unto you, except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone. But if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth his life shall lose it, and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me, and where I am, there shall also my servant be. If any man serve me, him will my father honor. Now is my soul troubled, and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour, but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven saying, I have both glorified it and will glorify it again. The people therefore that stood by and heard said that it thundered. Others said an angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, this voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And if I be lifted up, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all, men is in italics, all of my people, every soul the father gave unto me.

Was he lifted up? Sure was. Did he die that death? He sure did. Throughout the other Gospels, he kept telling his disciples that he was going to die this death. He told them, I'm going to go to Jerusalem. I'm going to be put on trial. They are going to kill me. And the third day, I'm going to rise again. Did he rise again? He sure did.

Look at John 14. Verse 1 says, Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions. If it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also." Did he go to prepare a place for us? He sure did. Will he come again to receive us to himself? He sure will. He most certainly will.

Look at John 19, verse 28. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar and they filled a sponge with vinegar and put it upon hyssop and put it to his mouth. When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, it is finished. And he bowed his head and gave up the ghost.

Is it truly finished? Is the salvation of all of God's elect people truly finished? If the prophet says it is, it is. If the prophet says it is, it is. These are the words of the prophet. These words that are written in this book are the words of Christ our prophet.

And look right here at John 20 verse 30. It says, many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God, and that believing you might have life through his name. believing the words that he has given.

John 21 verse 24 says, this is the disciple which testifies of these things and wrote these things. And we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the witch, If they should be written, every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.

Now that's a prophet. That is a prophet. If everything he said and did were written, the world couldn't contain the books. That's a prophet. Lord, tune our ears to the prophet. Tune our ears to the prophet. Nothing else, no one else but the prophet. Tune our ears to hear the word of our Lord. Thus saith the Lord. Hear the word of the Lord, Christ our prophet. Amen.

All right, you're dismissed.