Listen Up

All of the Bible tells one story – God’s Big Story of who He is, His creation, our sinful rebellion against His Lordship, and His tremendous love in pursuing us to be reconciled.  It also points to a future hope – all of us know that this life with its cancer, personal conflicts, school closings, and endless winter is not all there is.  Eternity is the destiny that awaits us all, but which one?  

The central focus in God’s Big Story is Jesus. The Old Testament points to His coming, the New Testament is the account of His ministry, life, death, and resurrection, the birth of the church after he returns to the Father, and the hope of His future coming again to restore His creation to the purity that sin has defiled. 

We see clearly in some passages a direct link from the OT to the NT. A very clear one is Deuteronomy 18:15 

“The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen— (‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭18‬:‭15‬ ESV)

Fast forward to the NT. People saw Jesus and knew that he was the foretold a Prophet, the Messiah…

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” (‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭45‬ ESV)

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. (‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬ ESV)

Jesus actually existed, that is a fact. He was extraordinary – we see what he did in the gospels, we have extra biblical history that verifies His miraculous ministry. He is so much more than just a good teacher, or example. He is God in the flesh, the Messiah prophesied about hundreds of years earlier. He is The Prophet to whom we shall listen. Are we listening?

Here is what He is saying –

Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord…(‭Acts‬ ‭3‬:‭19-20‬ ESV)