11/28/2021 - The Prophet - Hebrews 1:1-3 - Pastor Jason Fritz

For many, tomorrow will be a special day of eating and football. Personally, I plan to be at the youth Turkey Bowl. The arm strength is gone, but the mind strength is…kinda still there? Anyway, Advent is upon us. The word “advent” means arrival so this is why Christians celebrate the first coming of Jesus and what it means for us today. In Jesus' time not everyone agreed as to who he was but there was no doubt Jesus was extraordinary. The people said, “When he speaks he has authority.” At his arrest the soldiers fell back. When Old Testament prophets spoke, they spoke as mere men—weak and frail men standing side by side with the people pointing them to God. Jesus, even in his humanity stood above men and said, “Look to me, believe in me I am the prophet who gives you direct access to God."  One of the unique things about ancient prophets is that he or she spoke of future events. They foretold of wars, famine, elections and many other things. They also foretold of the Messiah. Some of these prophecies related to his supernatural arrival. For example, Isaiah said the messiah would be born of a virgin. Other prophecies were obscure, yet detailed. Things like the place of his birth in the small town of Bethlehem or that he would arrive in Jerusalem on a donkey. There were dozens of very specific prophecies. Since Jesus himself was a prophet he too foretold of future events, but he did so in a unique way. The greatest example of this is that he predicted his own death and resurrection. Matthew 16:21 “From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”  If you are the most ardent skeptic, I want you to think about this - who could predict his own death at the hands of others…with pinpoint accuracy? Who could predict that he would rise from the dead…and then do it? Sounds ridiculous, right? But to predict—and accurately so—that is not of this world. You see Jesus not only MADE prophetic predictions, he FULFILLED them. He is the ultimate prophet sent by God. Prophets spoke on behalf of God and Jesus proved he came from God by his own resurrection power. So then, we should listen to what the prophet has to say!