"THE PROMISED MESSIAH"
Intro. When the children of Israel had come to Mount Sinai, and God manifested His presence, it was an awesome sight, we read that as Moses brought the people out to meet the Lord the mountain was covered with smoke as the Lord descended in a fire, and the smoke was like a furnace, and the mountain began to shake, and there was the sound of a long trumpet blast that got louder and louder. Moses was called up to the mountain to talk with God and returned to them with the ten commandments. We read in
EXO 20:18 And when all the people heard the thunder and the blare of the trumpet, and saw the lightning and the mountain smoking, they moved away, and stood afar off. And they said unto Moses, "You speak with us, and we will hear: but don't let not God speak with us, lest we die." So God spoke to the people through Moses. Moses became the spokesman for God.
I. GOD PROMISED TO SEND ANOTHER PROPHET LIKE MOSES TO SPEAK THE WORD OF GOD TO THEM.
A. To the present day the Jews recognize this passage to be a promise of the Messiah.
1. In fact the Rabbi's today say that the main reason they reject Jesus as the Messiah is because He claimed to be the Son of God and the promised Messiah was to be a man as Moses was a man.
2. They of course ignore such passages as:
PSA 2:2 The kings of the earth and the rulers have taken counsel together, against the LORD, and against his Anointed one. (the Hebrew word translated Anointed One, is Meshiyach.)
PSA 2:7 I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou [art] my SON; this day have I begotten thee. (Jesus told Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son."
PSA 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give [thee] the heathen [for] thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth [for] thy possession.
PSA 2:9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
ISA 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a SON is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
ISA 9:7 Of the increase of [his] government and peace [there shall be] no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
ISA 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a SON, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Matthew tells us that Immanuel means, God with us.)
3. The Bible also affirms that Jesus came as a man. (Thus like unto Moses.)
Phl 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man,
1TI 2:5 For [there is] one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
4. Jesus was both God and man.
Joh 1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
1TI 3:16 Great is the mystery of Godliness, God was manifested in the flesh.
B. The Prophet was to come from the midst of them and of their brethren.
1. Jesus was born of the seed of Abraham and of the seed of David, therefore one of their brethren.
2. Jesus grew up as a normal child.
C. Moses said, "Like unto me." He was like Moses in that He would bring to the people the words of God.
II. GOD PROMISED "I WILL PUT MY WORDS IN HIS MOUTH, AND HE SHALL SPEAK UNTO THEM, ALL THAT I COMMAND HIM."
A. Here is what Jesus claimed.
JOH 7:16 My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me.
JOH 8:28 When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am and [that] I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
JOH 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God:
JOH 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.
JOH 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
JOH 14:24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.
JOH 17:8 For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received [them], and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
1. It should be quite obvious that Jesus was declaring to them that He was indeed bringing to them the words of God, even as Moses had brought to them the word of God.
2. Jesus laid claim to being that Prophet of whom Moses spoke.
3. If Jesus is not the promised Messiah, He cannot be just a good man.
a. Or as some like to say, "A great teacher."
b. A brilliant philosopher, a great prophet or marvelous example.
4. If Jesus was not the only begotten Son of God, the promised Messiah, then He was at best, mentally unbalanced.
a. He, perhaps, was suffering from delusions of grandeur.
b. Or worse, He was a liar, a deceiver, and a fraud, because he claimed to be the Son of God, He declared over and over that God was His father, and that He sent Him to this world to save those who were lost. That if a person believed on Him, he would not perish, but have everlasting life.
c. If He were a deceiver or a fraud, then we might as well pack up our bags and go home, or as Paul said concerning His resurrection:
1CO 15:14 And if Christ be not risen, then our preaching [is] vain, and your faith [is] also vain. In fact we are false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen: And if Christ is not risen, your faith [is] vain; ye are still in your sins and those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.
d. It is sort of like the question Jesus asked the Pharisee's, "What do you think of Christ, whose Son is He?"
e. He is either the Son of God or the Son of some unnamed rogue who lived around Nazareth.
f. What do you think of Christ? Was He insane, a fraud, a deceiver? Whose Son was He?
III. IN
HEBREWS 1 WE READ: GOD, WHO AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND IN VARIOUS WAYS, SPOKE TO THE FATHERS, HAS IN THESE LAST DAYS SPOKEN UNTO US BY HIS OWN SON, WHOM HE HAS APPOINTED AS THE HEIR OF ALL THINGS. IT WAS BY HIM THAT HE MADE THE UNIVERSE. THE SON IS THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS GLORY, AND AN EXACT IMAGE OF HIS BEING. HE SUSTAINS ALL THINGS BY HIS POWERFUL WORD, AND AFTER HE HAD PROVIDED FOR THE CLEANSING OF OUR SINS, HE SAT DOWN AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE MAJESTY ON HIGH.
IV. LET'S READ OUR TEXT ONCE AGAIN.
DEU 18:15 The LORD thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken;
DEU 18:16 According to all that thou desiredst 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.
DEU 18:17 And the LORD said unto me, what they have spoken is good.
DEU 18:18 I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like you, and will put My words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him. I might add the book of Hebrews tells us in chapter ten beginning with verse 28, "He that despised Moses' law died without mercy if two or three witnessed against him. How much worse do you suppose the punishment will be for those who have trodden under their foot the Son of God, and have counted the blood of the covenant by which He was sanctified an unholy thing, and has done despite to the Spirit of Grace. For we know Him who has said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay." And again, "The Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." Have you taken heed to the words of Jesus? Are you following Him? if not, then one day you will stand before God and have to answer for your
folly. And as the Book of Hebrews warns, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. For you will be facing the certain fearful judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour His adversaries."
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
