God's Promises Still Stand

Well, I wonder if you can say that this morning.

My boast is Jesus Christ.

I trust you can.

Well, what does it take to be able to make that confession?

A Christ of your own making, but the Christ, the true Christ that's in the Scripture.

We've been learning about Him a little bit, and we'll see Him again this morning.

The true glimpse of the true Savior, it takes recognition of who He is.

But then it also takes an honest look in your own heart, an examination.

How does this true Christ address me?

How does this true Christ address the issues of my life?

How does the truth about Jesus confront the situation that I'm in?

And it calls us out of the ignorance that we have had,

and calls us to something that is clear, something that is defined.

And by God's grace, it will call us to worship.

It will call us to faith in Him.

But God has to do a work in our hearts to draw out the truth for us,

and to expose the ignorance of our hearts to lead us to that revelation,

so that we can, in fact, say, my boast is Jesus Christ.

Well, on March of 1974, a Japanese soldier named Hiro Onoda

walked out of the jungle on Lubang Island in the Philippines.

World War II had ended in 1945.

This was almost 29 years later, he finally walks out of the jungle.

For Onoda, the war had not ever ended.

He had been sent to the island late in the time of the World War II.

He was told, given instructions from his intelligence officer,

not to surrender under any condition.

So when the war ended and leaflets were dropped,

messages about the war being over,

members were sent and search parties would come,

and families were sent to search for their loved ones.

But Onoda did not believe the pamphlets that were dropped.

He thought the messages were enemy tricks.

He thought that they were the deception.

He thought they were meant to convey a surrender that he should not follow.

So he stayed in the jungle.

He kept hiding.

He kept fighting.

He kept living as though the war was still raging.

And for 29 years after the war was over,

he lived in that pseudo-reality,

a reality that he had made for himself.

Japanese traveler ran into him and discovered that he was living under these conditions.

And he called him to understand the truth of the war being over.

But Onoda would not surrender.

He said he would remain true to the orders he was given.

Finally, after 29 years,

the Japanese government would send his former commanding officer,

who was now a fisherman,

to meet with Onoda face-to-face and to dismiss those orders.

Only then Onoda laid down his weapons.

Only then Onoda would come out of hiding.

And only then would Onoda understand the reality of the situation that was in front of him.

The story is true of ignorance.

The ignorance that rested on Onoda's heart

is the same kind of ignorance that all of us are called to confront.

You see, Onoda didn't accept the announcement.

And because of living in ignorance,

he continued to believe and exist as though the war continued.

This morning in our passage, as we look at Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

and I would encourage you to turn there in your Bibles, if you would,

Acts chapter 3.

Acts 3 · chapter mention

If you're using the Pew Bible, it's on page 911.

The truth is that the audience that Peter was speaking to

were also blinded by ignorance.

They were unable to recognize Jesus Christ,

God in the flesh, who was right in front of them.

Jesus had ministered before them for three years in public,

and they would not receive his message.

We find at the beginning parts of Acts chapter 3,

Acts 3 · chapter mention

Peter and John who are making their way to the temple.

This is the hour of prayer.

This is the ninth hour, which would have been three o'clock in the afternoon.

They're going there as was their custom.

And you remember, they encountered this lame man.

This man who had been lame from birth,

we find for 40 years.

He had been lame.

And in order to make ends meet,

he would ask those religious individuals who were coming to the temple for financial assistance.

He would beg for help.

On this day, he would pass Peter and John.

He would ask for financial help.

And Peter would say,

I don't have silver and gold,

but what I have,

I give to you in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Rise up and walk.

He takes the man by the hand.

You remember, he raises him up.

The man walks and leaps,

and he's praising God

as they walk together into the temple.

Those in the temple are amazed.

We saw that a couple of weeks ago.

We saw the amazement of the crowd.

They recognized this man,

and they know that something significant had taken place.

We find that this man had been healed.

And in verse 9 and 10,

we find the people saw him walking and praising God.

They recognized him as the one who sat at the beautiful gate of the temple,

asking for alms,

and they were filled with wonder and amazement

at what was happening to him.

They recognized that a miracle had taken place.

And they were filled with wonder and amazement.

And a couple of weeks ago,

when we talked about this,

we recognized the significance of wonder,

this marveling at what was taking place.

But Peter wants to make sure

that the hearts of those who are in front of him

move from wonder to worship.

And that's where all of us need to be.

We need to move from just being amazed

at the spectacular works of God.

It needs to move us in,

into devotion,

into understanding of who God is,

and ultimately into faith.

Faith in Christ.

Faith in the message of this gospel.

And Peter will take this opportunity now,

as those people have rushed together,

to move their hearts from wonder into worship.

That's his goal.

In this second part of this sermon,

that begins in verse 17.

He wants them to recognize that,

that wondering is good,

but it's never meant to stay there.

He says there in verse 12,

why do you wonder at this?

And throughout this discourse,

Peter will direct the attention away from himself,

and he'll direct attention of wonder to Jesus Christ.

He wants them to understand the object of wonder,

and the object of worship.

Don't stare at us as if we did anything.

Look to Christ.

He's the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham.

He's the one you crucified.

He's the holy one.

He's the righteous one.

He's the one you murdered.

He's the author of life,

who you denied.

Look to Christ.

And we find in verse 16 of chapter 3,

it says this,

And in his name,

or excuse me,

and his name,

by faith in his name,

he has made him strong.

And the faith that is through Jesus

has given this man the perfect health

in the presence of you all.

It's meant to lead you to faith.

It's meant to lead you to worship.

And at this point of the message,

Peter's sermon becomes very hard-hitting.

It does indict.

It does accuse.

It does condemn.

Peter wants his audience

to recognize the bad news

before he can welcome them

to enjoy the good news.

The good news of the promises of God.

And he does this in the sharpest way possible.

We find that in verse 13.

He wants his audience to recognize

the seriousness of their crime.

The God of your father Abraham

glorified his servant, Jesus,

whom you delivered over to Pilate.

That's how bad it is.

God sent his servant

in the form of Jesus Christ

so that you could see him and know him.

But what did you do?

You didn't receive him.

You put him to death.

And Peter makes this connection

not to condemn them,

but as we're going to see

from verses 17 to 26,

Peter makes this connection

to invite them to something special,

to invite them to faith.

Because as we're going to see,

God's promises still stand.

His promises still stand.

So turn with me, if you would,

to verse 17.

I'm going to read the first several verses of this

and then we'll jump into our passage.

It says this,

And now, brothers,

I know that you acted in ignorance,

as did also your rulers.

But what God foretold

by the mouth of all the prophets

that his Christ would suffer,

he thus fulfilled.

Repent, therefore,

and turn back

that your sins may be blotted out,

that times of refreshing may come

from the presence of the Lord,

and that he may send Christ

appointed for you,

Jesus,

whom heaven must receive

until the time

for restoring all things

about which God spoke

by the mouth

of his holy prophets

long ago.

You see this invitation now.

You see this tone

that's beginning to shift.

This indictment,

this condemnation,

this rebuke

that Peter will bring

at the first part of his sermon

now turns to promise.

And he begins by saying,

receive the message

of God's promise.

That's the invitation.

Receive this message

of God's promise.

And in order to receive

this message,

you need to come to terms

with your own ignorance.

The danger of ignorance.

You need to recognize

that your ignorant hearts

have polluted the truth,

have darkened your heart,

and have caused this response

to Jesus himself.

And Peter begins this message

back in verse 12.

He begins with this tone.

Men of Israel.

He's addressing them.

And now recognize the shift

that's beginning to happen

in verse 17.

You see how he addresses them here?

He says,

and now brothers.

And now brothers.

Do you notice the tone?

The tone that has shifted?

Now this tone of invitation.

Now this tone

that we belong together.

By using this word brothers,

Peter is placing himself

alongside them.

And I wonder,

even as Peter was speaking

the words,

you denied the servant,

God's son.

I wonder,

even in the use

of the word denied,

Peter recognizes

in his own heart,

you know what?

I deny the Lord three times.

But it didn't disqualify me

from being able

to enjoy the benefits

of the promise.

It didn't keep me away.

And so now Peter

extends this invitation

to these brothers,

these men,

who are there

in front of him.

He's drawing attention

to their shared heritage,

their shared relationship.

He's also drawing attention

to their shared responsibility.

The first part

of this message

draws this attention

to the seriousness

of their rejection.

But Peter is now

going to invite them

to the solution

that they all share

in Christ.

This welcome invitation

to enjoy the benefits

of what Christ

has accomplished.

You acted in ignorance.

This is the Greek word

anoya,

which is a compound word.

The first part of it,

ah,

which is not.

The second part of it

is knowledge.

So not knowledge.

You acted without knowledge.

You acted in a way

that demonstrated

you didn't understand

what was taking place.

And all throughout

the scripture,

whenever this word is used,

it's always used

to implicate the heathen.

It's always used

of those who are outside,

who decide not

to believe in God.

This is not,

by the way,

the absence of information.

Those who were standing

there in Jerusalem

had all the access

of information.

Jesus himself

had ministered to them

for three years.

And not just the lack

of information,

but there was also

this access

to information.

So that's not

what we're talking about.

But it does talk about

the utter blindness

of these individuals

in their response

to the truth

that was right

in front of them.

It's similar

to what the apostle Paul

says in Ephesians

Ephesians 4:17–19

chapter 4,

verses 17 to 19,

describing the condition

of our hearts

before Christ.

He says,

Now I say

and testify in the Lord

that you must no longer

walk as the Gentiles walk,

in the futility

of their minds.

They're darkened

in their understanding.

They're separated

from the life of God

because of the ignorance

that is in them

due to the hardening

of their hearts.

They have become callous.

They have given themselves

up to sensuality,

greedy to practice

every kind of impurity.

What is this ignorance produced?

Well, it's produced

futility in their minds,

darkening of understanding,

alienated from God,

hardness of heart,

calloused in the way

they respond,

giving themselves over

to all kinds of wickedness.

In relationship

to the spoken word,

there is a total

rejection of truth,

a posture that has

set itself aside

from hearing and knowing

and embracing

the truth

that they had access to.

This is a perfect description

of the ignorance

that Peter is describing here.

It's an ignorance,

by the way,

that was shared.

Notice,

ignorance that is present

in you

but also present

in your rulers.

You see that in verse 17.

You acted in ignorance

as did also your rulers.

And that's important.

You can't point the finger

at the Roman authorities.

You can't point the finger

at those heathen people

over there.

No, there's shared culpability,

shared responsibility,

shared ignorance

that's taking place

that has rejected,

wholesale,

the wonder

of the gospel of God.

But now there's hope.

And that's where we turn next.

The hope of understanding

that we see in verse 18.

Notice this.

It says,

One of the most glorious words

in the New Testament

is one of the smallest.

This word, but.

But God.

This contrastive word.

The things which we deserve

would lead us away from God,

but God in his mercy.

He welcomes us

to something better.

He welcomes us

by his grace

to experience

the joy

of what we're going to read

in the remaining parts

of this passage.

But God.

God changes the story.

God offers hope

when we deserve punishment.

God fulfills promises

in spite of human failure.

God offers life

even though we put

his son to death.

The author of life

was killed,

was murdered,

and yet God continues

to extend mercy,

his grace.

And even in this moment,

Peter is trying

to awaken

in their minds

an understanding

of this hope.

He calls these brothers

out of ignorance,

not to leave them

with crushing judgment,

but to welcome them

to the hope

that can be found in Christ.

This message

of what Christ accomplished.

Notice,

God foretold this

by the mouth

of his prophets,

which means

God knew

this was going

to happen.

And we recognize

as we look

through the scriptures

and even in Acts chapter 2,

Acts 2 · chapter mention

what does Peter say?

Well,

this happened

according to the definite

plan and purpose

of God.

God is not surprised

by your rebellion.

And we know

that things happen

by God's design.

We find that

as we work our way

back to Isaiah chapter 46,

Isaiah 46 · chapter mention

what we see

in Isaiah chapter 46,

Isaiah 46 · chapter mention

the character

of God on display,

set against

the character

of idols.

To whom will you liken me

and make me equal?

To those who hire

a goldsmith

and make it

into a god

and then fall down

and worship?

They lift it up

to their shoulder.

They carry it.

They set it in place.

It stands there.

It cannot move

from its place.

And here,

the prophet Isaiah

is describing

the character

of false gods.

You have to do

everything for this god.

You make this god.

You set up this god.

You move this god.

You set it in place.

It cannot do anything

for you.

It offers no hope.

But here's the character

of our god.

Remember this

and stand firm.

I am god

and there is no other.

I am god

and there is none

like me

declaring the end

from the beginning

and from ancient times

things yet not done

saying,

my counsel shall stand

and I will accomplish

all my purposes.

I have spoken

and I will bring it

to pass.

I have purposed

and I will do it.

God knows the end

from the beginning

and God knows

what was going to happen

from eternity past.

He spoke it into existence.

He doesn't just promise

that it will take place.

He makes it happen.

I will accomplish

my purposes.

You see,

what makes this beautiful

is that God's character

rests not on his ability

to make promises.

God's character

rests on his ability

to keep promises.

We have a promise

making

and a promise

keeping God.

And that's what Peter

wants his audience

to understand.

You,

in ignorance,

put your God

to death.

But that has not

disqualified you

from now being

the recipients

of those who are

invited to enjoy

the benefits

of this work

of Christ

in dying

for sinners.

You see,

anyone can make promises

but those promises

are empty

if they don't happen.

Only God

can make promises

and keep them.

And we find

from Isaiah chapter 53

Isaiah 53 · chapter mention

what were some

of these promises?

Well,

it was the will of God

to crush his son.

Why?

Well,

because in verse 5

of Isaiah 53,

upon him

was the chastisement

that brought us peace

and with his wounds

we are healed.

With his wounds

we are healed.

And that's what Peter

is addressing

in verse 18.

God foretold

by the mouth

of all the prophets

that his Christ

would suffer

he thus fulfilled.

This is captured

by the prophets

ages ago

and this has now

been fulfilled

in God's servant

his son,

Jesus.

Not that

by his stripes

you are punished.

Not by his stripes

you are condemned.

Not by his stripes

you are judged.

But by his stripes

you might be healed.

Healed.

And especially healed

in a way

that runs

to the deepest

parts of you.

Your need

for salvation.

Your need

for forgiveness.

Your need

for cleansing

that Jesus offers

through his

crushed

broken body.

Through his stripes.

You can be healed

in the deepest

way possible.

So this is

this contrastive

word

but

it helps

to know

that we're being

led somewhere.

So receive

the message

of God's promise

and then

respond

next

here

to the call

for repentance.

The call

of repentance.

We find that

in verses 19

to 21.

It says

repent therefore

and turn back

that your sins

may be blotted out

that times

of refreshing

may come

from the presence

of the Lord

and that he may

send the Christ

appointed for you

Jesus

whom heaven

must receive

until a time

for restoring

all things

about which God

spoke by the mouth

of his holy prophets

long ago.

You need repentance.

This is really

the word

for the need

of a change

of mind.

That's kind of

the definition

of repentance.

That's what they needed.

They need to respond

in repentance

by changing

their mind.

Changing their mind

because of what

they know

about

about Jesus

himself.

This word

repent

is a compound

word as well

and it

talks about

the mind

itself.

And so

while there

was ignorance

in their heart

where they

were without

knowledge

now they

need to

engage

their mind

in repentance

and turn

and change

and redirect

their life

to Jesus.

This change

of mind

is a change

of thinking

a change

of truth

change

of posture

a change

of direction

in life.

It's something

that must happen

as we become

aware

of the truth

of God's

word.

Repent

and change

your life

turn back

he says.

Another Greek

word that

gives us

the direction

of this change

there is a turn

of mind

but a redirection

of life

a turning back.

I love

the statement

that's given

here.

Your father's

Abraham understood

the nature

of this faith.

Abraham believed

God and it

was accounted

to him

as righteousness.

It's not

that Abraham's

faith

was produced

righteousness

but it's that

Abraham's faith

was accredited

as righteous.

Not because

Abraham brought

righteousness

to the table

but because

through Abraham's

faith

the object

of faith

Jesus

was righteous.

So we see

in verse 14

of our passage

it says

you denied

who?

The holy

and righteous

one.

Jesus is

righteous

and it's a

righteousness

that belongs

to him

and it's a

righteousness

that then

is accredited

to the account

of those

who believe

in Jesus

as the

way

to faith

through repentance.

You see

true repentance

is not just

simply being

sorry

for bad

things.

True repentance

is not just

grieving over

consequences

or feeling

embarrassed

or feeling

a sense

of shame.

It's not

something that

just happens

one day

and fades

the next.

True repentance

involves faith.

It involves

a belief

in truth.

Repentance

is a

faith issue

and that

means that

repentance

is a

worship issue

and with this

we come full

circle right?

We come back

to where we

started.

Coming back

to verse 16

and understand

the significance

of what Peter

is saying here

in calling

his audience

to faith.

It's true

faith in Christ

that this man

is healed

and this

invitation

of faith

is for you

too.

You must

also believe.

Come to terms

with the seriousness

of your sin,

your rebellion

against God

and this

begins

to change

your mind,

your thinking

about who he is

and what you need.

in verse 19.

What is the result?

Well, the result

of this

is that your sins

will be blotted

out.

Blotted,

which is a

word to wipe

away or to

eliminate.

See, it's a

picture of a

record that

was recorded

in some

piece of

paper.

And in the

ancient world,

the ink that

was used

wouldn't bite

into the surface

of the papyrus

and so it

could often

very easily

be wiped

away.

So to be

blotted out

carries this

image of

this written

record where

that ledger

is totally

removed.

The sin

that was

there,

the indictment

against you

is removed

in totality.

Not just

crossed away,

not just

overlooked,

but it's

replaced.

There's an

exchange that

takes place

there.

That record

no longer

exists.

It's because

there's a

replacement

that's

taken place.

The

righteousness

of Christ

is now

accredited

to your

account.

So have

a change

of mind.

In verse

20,

now Peter

wants to

invite this

audience not

just to a

change of

mind,

but what are

the results

of that

change?

Well,

there is an

offer now

of times

of refreshing.

Notice

verse 20,

it says,

that times

of refreshing

may come

from the

presence of

the Lord

and that

he may

send the

Christ

appointed

for you

Jesus.

God offers

to replace

that ledger

of condemnation

with a record

of refreshing.

It's refreshing,

which is a

word for

relief.

It provides

this picture

of this

cool breeze

or this

very refreshing

water that

is given

to those

weary souls.

This time

of refreshing

that we can

enjoy because

of Jesus

Christ.

This is the

only place

it's found

in the

New Testament

and it's

not the

kind of

result we

would expect.

See,

our minds

are likely

to follow

when we

think about

being blotted

out or

purged away.

Our minds

often go to

Psalm 51

and that's a

good picture

as well.

In Psalm 51,

the psalmist

is saying,

verses 1 and 2,

have mercy

on me,

O God,

according to

your steadfast

love.

According to

your abundant

mercy,

blot out

my transgression.

Wash me

thoroughly

from my

iniquity

and cleanse

me from

my sin.

Purge me

with hyssop

and I will

be clean.

Wash me

and I will

be whiter

than snow.

Hide your

face from

my sin

and blot

out all

my iniquities.

Create in

me a clean

heart,

O God.

Renew

a right

spirit,

within me.

It's the

same language

that Peter

is using.

Wash

and blot

and cleanse

and purge.

That's a picture

of forgiveness,

right?

But it's

the picture

of refreshing

is meant to

go much

deeper.

That's still

contained within

what Peter

is describing.

There is

washing,

there is

cleansing,

but Peter

wants his

audience to

know there

is so much

more.

more.

There's

not just

this temporary

ledger that

has been

fixed.

There is

now this

ongoing,

these times

of refreshing

that we get

to enjoy.

And he

uses this

word,

this Greek

word,

well,

kairos,

that's what

it is.

It's the

word kairos,

which is the

word for

seasons,

not the

word chronos,

which talks

about a very

distinct

time,

a time

signature.

Peter wants

him to

know,

these are

refreshing

times that

you can

enjoy for

the long

haul,

because of

what Christ

has accomplished.

It's refreshing

that he offers,

this forgiveness

of sin,

it's a different

kind than

Israel was

familiar with

because of

the once

for all

sacrifice

of Christ,

this permanent

refreshing,

this permanent

forgiveness,

this permanent

cleansing that

Jesus offers

now to

those who

are in

Christ through

faith.

And this

is the

kind of

refreshing

that God

offers and

extends through

his son.

It's the

refreshing that

Peter refers

to in

Acts 2

23,

he says,

this Jesus,

he was

delivered up

according to

the definite

plan and

foreknowledge of

God,

you crucified

and killed

at the hands

of lawless

men,

but he was

appointed for

you.

He was

appointed for

you.

The personal

nature of

what Christ

accomplished,

offered to

those who

were in

front of

the apostle

Peter,

those who

desperately

longed for

refreshing,

and Peter

wants them to

understand that

the real

refreshing that

you need is

found in

Jesus,

who was

appointed for

you.

Whether you

experience that

through repentance

and faith in

him.

And then this

promise that we

see of

restoration in

verse 21,

notice,

whom heaven

must receive

until the

time for

restoring all

things about

which God

spoke by the

mouth of his

holy prophets

long ago.

Did you catch

that?

This embedded

promise in

this statement?

Yes, Jesus is

in heaven right

now, okay?

But that is

not his

permanent

situation.

He is there,

but he is

there,

bounded by

this word

until,

until the

time for

restoring.

This word

that is used

here wants

to help us

understand there

is a terminal

boundary that is

in place.

He is there,

it is just the

waiting room for

the final

restoration he

intends to

give.

The restoration

hasn't happened

yet.

He is there

waiting in

the future

for us to

then enjoy

this full

restoration

that he's

promised.

Him being

in heaven

is not

the fulfillment.

It's the

waiting room.

The until

implies

incompleteness.

It implies

that something

remains outstanding.

That something

about restoration

has not yet

happened.

There will

be a time

of restoration.

It's yet

future.

It's not

in the past.

And the context

is significant

because for

this Greek

word restoration

that is only

used here

in this

verse,

it's shared

in a word

family for

restoration.

And the only

other time

it's used

in Acts,

we find in

Acts chapter

Acts 1 · chapter mention

1-6.

Notice.

So when

they had come

together,

they asked

him,

this is the

disciples,

Lord,

will you at

this time

restore the

kingdom to

Israel?

They were

looking for

restoration.

They were

looking for

the Messiah.

They were

looking for

a king.

They were

looking for

Jesus to

establish his

throne in

Jerusalem.

That's what

they were

waiting for.

And you

remember that

Jesus for

40 days

before his

ascension is

talking about

the kingdom

and so the

apostles want

to know,

okay, so

when is it

going to

come?

Remember,

Jesus' answer

was,

it's not

for you to

know the

times or the

seasons.

And now

here we

are in

Acts 3

and Peter

is not

telling his

audience,

well,

there's no

more

restoration

that has

passed because

of your

rejection of

the Messiah.

Rather,

he says,

no,

there's a

restoration

coming and

we're waiting

for it.

It's coming.

It is in the

waiting room.

It's confirmation

that there will

be restoration

that will take

place.

And that's

what Israel

longed for.

You see,

Israel's problem

was not that

they expected

a kingdom.

Israel's problem

was they had

the wrong

timing.

And they

couldn't see

that the

suffering of

Christ had

to come before

the glory.

And that's

what we find

in 1 Peter

1 Peter 1:10

chapter 1

verses 10

and 11.

The prophets,

it says,

concerning this

salvation,

the prophets

who prophesied

about the

grace that

was to be

yours,

they searched

and inquired

carefully,

inquiring what

person or

time the

spirit of

Christ was

indicating when

he predicted

the sufferings

of Christ

and the

subsequent

glories.

And here

Peter wants

his audience

to know there

are times of

refreshing.

Yes,

you rejected

your Messiah.

Yes,

you delivered

him up to

Pilate.

Yes,

you turned

your back on

the author

of life.

Yes,

you put

him to

death,

but that

has not

disqualified

God's

promises to

you.

The invitation

is still

open.

The restoration

is still

waiting.

Will you

repent

in turn

in faith

and enjoy

the benefits

of this

promise?

God's promise

is still

intact.

We find

this promise

all through

the scriptures,

through the

prophets

that are

speaking to

us.

So receive

the message

of God's

promise

and respond

to the

call of

repentance.

And then

what we

find in

verse 22

and 23,

listen to

the witness

of the

prophets.

Listen to

the witness

of the

prophets.

Verse 22,

Moses said,

the Lord

God will

raise up

for you

a prophet

like me

from your

brothers.

You shall

listen to

him in

whatever he

tells you.

And it

shall be

that every

soul who

does not

listen to

that prophet

shall be

destroyed

from the

people.

And all

the prophets

who have

spoken from

Samuel and

those who

came after

him also

proclaimed

these days.

So listen

to the witness

of the prophets.

What did the

prophets say?

Well,

this first

prophet,

the most

prominent

prophet,

Moses,

would speak.

So listen

to the witness

of Moses,

this prophet.

God gave

Moses to

help build

a sense

of expectation.

What sort

of prophet,

what sort

of greater

prophet would

the people

look for?

Well, we

see in

Deuteronomy

several clues

of what this

prophet would

do.

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 18:18

chapter 18

verse 18

we find

that he

will speak

the words

of God.

I will

raise up

for them

a prophet

like you

from among

their brothers.

I will

put my

words in

his mouth.

He shall

speak to

them all

that I

commanded

him.

What do

you look

for?

Well, first

you look

for a prophet

who speaks

my words.

He's going

to speak

for me.

He's going

to speak

the truth.

He's going

to tell

you what

you need

to hear.

Those words

are going

to be coming

from me

directly.

Second,

you need

to be

looking for

a prophet

who speaks

with God's

authority.

Verse 19,

whoever will

not listen

to my

words

that he

shall speak

in my

name,

I

myself

will

require it

of him.

If you

don't listen

to the

words of

this prophet,

then you're

culpable.

You are

under obligation

to obey

the words

that I've

spoken.

so he

will speak

with God's

authority.

Third,

we're going

to find

that the

true prophet

will speak

words that

come true.

In verse

22,

it says

this,

when a

prophet speaks

in the name

of the

Lord,

if the

word does

not come

to pass

or come

true,

that is a

word that

the Lord

has not

spoken.

The prophet

has spoken

it presumptuously.

you need

not be

afraid of

him.

He's going

to speak

words that

will come

to pass.

And finally,

fourth,

his life

will match

his message.

We find

that in

Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 13:1

chapter 13

verses 1

and 3.

If a

prophet or

dreamer

of dreams

arises

among you

and gives

you a

sign or

a wonder

and that

sign or

wonder that

he tells

you comes

to pass

and if

he says

let us

go after

other gods

which you

have not

known

and let us

serve them

you shall

not listen

to the

words of

that prophet

or that

dreamer

of dreams

for the

Lord your

God is

testing you

to know

whether you

love the

Lord your

God

with all

your heart

and with

all your

soul.

There are

going to be

those false

prophets

and those

false prophets

may even

get it right

once in a

while.

But if you

can find

from the

trajectory

of their

life

that their

life is

out of

sync

with worship

of the

true God

then don't

follow them

because the

words of

the true

prophet will

be in

alignment

with the

testimony of

scripture.

His life

will match

his message.

And so when

people looked at

the life of

Jesus

they knew

here is a

prophet

he is one

who spoke

God's word

he is one

who spoke

with God's

authority

he is one

whose words

proved true

he is one

whose life

matched his

message

and because

of the

integrity

of Christ's

ministry

the people

thought

this must

be the

true prophet

we find

that in

John chapter

John 6:14

6 verse

14

after the

people saw

the miraculous

sign that

Jesus did

they began

to say

surely

this is

the prophet

who has

come into

the world

and then in

John chapter

John 7:40