Jesus The Restorer – Jesus Came To Restore What Man Has Lost
Jesus In The Prophetic Books
Facilitated by Pastor Joedy
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 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. 3 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.
Hebrews 1:1-3
God is a God who speaks and wants to show Himself. Christ, His Son is the representation of His glory. This is what we ought to understand and keep in mind in the face of all the uncertainties and all that is clear: That God continually reveals Himself – Indeed, His glory is seen in all of creation. It all points to Christ, who always has the final word; He Himself is the Word that dwelt among us.
What is prophecy? It is simply God’s message to the people – Another way to see prophecy is as an utterance from a human vessel coming from God to pronounce and predict the future. If the priest communicates man’s messages to God, the prophet communicates God’s message to man. A Prophet is God’s chosen vessel to utter His messages.
Two types of prophecy: (1) Forth-tell – Telling or explaining the significance of a future event, vs (2) Fore-telling – Telling details of the event. Both types are mentioned in the Old Testament, and the messages revolve around three ‘r’s’: Repentance (Come back to God), Retribution (Consequences of turning from God), and Restoration (God’s unfailing love and faithfulness). The Law of God comes into mind when it comes to Repentance – in summary, to follow the Law, we MUST be Holy, we MUST be Loving, and we MUST be Perfect. And unfortunately, under this Law we find no hope, no justification, and no righteousness – but that’s the thing. We aren’t supposed to be trying (and failing) to keep the Law; it’s meant to point us to Grace and Truth, which eventually came through Jesus Christ.
Speaking on Repentance, we understand this nowadays as translated to the Greek ‘metanoia’ – not necessarily absolute turning from sins, but certainly more on changing our minds, or changing the way we think. Isaiah speaks to the people of Israel:
“Seek the LORD while he may be found; call upon him while he is near;
let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
let him return to the LORD, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”
Isaiah 55:6-7
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;
though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.
Isaiah 1:18
And when it comes to messages of Retribution, Isaiah was not exempt from sharing that as well:
Your country lies desolate; your cities are burned with fire;
in your very presence foreigners devour your land;
it is desolate, as overthrown by foreigners.
And the daughter of Zion is left like a booth in a vineyard,
like a lodge in a cucumber field, like a besieged city.
If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors,
we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:7-9
How the faithful city has become a whore, she who was full of justice!
Righteousness lodged in her, but now murderers.
Isaiah 1:21
Finally, when it comes to Restoration, God certainly spoke through Isaiah:
For a brief moment I deserted you, but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing anger for a moment I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,”
says the LORD, your Redeemer.
“This is like the days of Noah to me: as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you, and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart and the hills be removed, but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you.
Isaiah 54:7-10
Take note! Before Isaiah 54 was proclaimed, the suffering Messiah was prophesied in Isaiah 53. The message of the Messiah was essential for people to hear before restoration could be mentioned!
Who Jesus Is In The Prophetic Books:
There were Prophets to both nations: There were prophets to Israel, and prophets to Judah. There were prophets during the exile and after the exile of the Israelites. Finally, there were times where there were no prophets at all, called the ‘silent period’. Finally, there was the ‘fore-runner’ prophet, John the Baptist.
The prophets of the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and other countries were Elijah and Elisha, who were mentioned in the books of 1 and 2 Kings. We see Jesus Christ as our Savior in Obadiah. In the book of Jonah we see Jesus Christ as the great foreign missionary who takes the word of God into all the world, just as the prophet brought the word into Nineveh. We see Jesus Christ as the great Avenger in the book of Nahum, and in the book of Amos, Christ is seen as the Burden Bearer of Israel.
One aspect or perspective of Jesus which I found very close to my heart was that of Hosea. Without going into too much detail, we see through the book of Hosea that our Lord Jesus Christ is our Lover who is forever faithful.
When it comes to the prophets of the Southern Kingdom (Judah), we see the Lord Jesus Christ as the Baptizer of the Holy Spirit, as first mentioned in the book of Joel, and then in the book of Acts. In the book of Micah, Jesus Christ is the first Messenger with beautiful feet, and in the book of Zephaniah we see Jesus Christ as our Lord who is mighty to save. The words of the prophet Habakkuk reveal that Christ is the Watchman who is ever praying for revival. Isaiah reveals Christ as the Suffering Servant, and Jeremiah’s words in his book and the book of Lamentations reveals Christ as the Weeping Prophet.
Something I’m probably going to read more about is how Christ is revealed as the ‘wonderful four-faced Man’ in the book of Ezekiel.
Now during the Exile, Daniel was the only prophet – and we see Christ as the Fourth Man with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of the fiery furnace. After the exile, we read about Haggai, whose words point to Jesus Christ as the Restorer of our Lost Heritage. Will also be reading more about Zechariah, because I want to know more about how Christ is our Fountain. Finally, in the book of Malachi, we see that Christ is our Son of righteousness with healing in His wings.
Key Prophecies In God’s Redemptive Plan:
At one point, the Old Covenant was what put the obedience of man into the forefront: When they obeyed, they were blessed, and when they disobeyed, they were cursed. While under said Covenant, Jeremiah prophesied the following Covenant.
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.”
Jeremiah 31:31-34
Now it sounds all great, but it needed to be asked: How will the said Covenant be established? Well, we have Isaiah telling us of the Suffering Messiah in Isaiah 53. The Messiah would lay His life down for us, and we would reap the rewards of His sacrifice!
It’s amazing how it’s all found in the Books of the Prophets – Indeed, all of them testify of Christ!
This was all pointed out, not to place fear in our hearts, but to give us peace beyond all understanding through Christ. The common mistake of New Covenant preachers is to apply the messages of the Old Testament Prophets to New Testament believers. But the way God deals with His children of the New Covenant is based on what Christ has accomplished on the cross and not the way God dealt with the people under the Old Covenant.
Sinners need Jesus. We do not preach the Law to condemn them, but we share it to emphasize the need for a Savior, and the need for a Messiah. Once we are saved, we are changed into a New Creation, new believers who are free from condemnation. There IS no condemnation in Christ Jesus – and who can accuse us? God is for us, and not against us.
The main purpose of the prophetic books is as follows:
To Testify To Jesus, Full of Grace and Truth; To the gift of righteousness in Christ alone!
Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:13-16
The prophetic books are there to point us to the New Covenant In Jesus, in whom the cycle of sin and rebellion are broken and sinners are made righteous in God!
But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.Romans 3:21-22
And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.Luke 24:25-27
The Message of the Law and the Prophets is Jesus!
Jesus came to show God’s people the true meaning of the Law.
Jesus came to demonstrate the power of the Kingdom.
Jesus came to expose the religious system of His day.
Jesus came to fulfill the Law. He came to do His Father’s will as the Sin of Man on the cross, and in so doing paid the requirements of the Law.
As such, Jesus came to offer true rest for our souls.
All we need to do is to believe in His name!
Shake off doubts, fears, uncertainties, and come to Jesus. Yes, drink from the living water of His words and eat the bread of His words, and surely you shall find peace and security in the midst of the troubles in the world, for He has spoken.
Indeed, because He lives, we can face tomorrow!
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