Sermon Notes: Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King

 

Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King

(Pastor Terry L. Reese, Valley GBC, Armagh, PA, Sunday, June 13, AD 2021)

 

TEXT: 2 Chon. 26:3-5, 16-21.

 

Introduction.

The Heidelberg Catechism, focusing on the word “Christ:”

Q. Why is he called "Christ," meaning "anointed"?

A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who perfectly reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance; our only high priest who has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us.

 

In I Tim. 2:1-6, Paul gives us the joyful announcement that there is one Mediator between God and Man, the God-Man, Christ Jesus. He is the one, all-sufficient Mediator between a Holy God and a sinful Humanity. He is the one appointed Mediator for all categories of men—regardless of race, creed, social-status, sex, etc.)—and we should thus pray for the salvation of all categories of men everywhere.

 

In order to adequately understand the work of CHRIST, we need to examine His unique three-fold Messianic office, through which He brings complete fulfillment to the important mediatorial offices of the OT.

 

Three OT offices to which men were anointed with oil and appointed by God to serve in a representative function, acting as mediators between God and man: Prophet, Priest, and King. These offices were essential within the Theocratic Commonwealth for the salvation and preservation of the Old Testament community.

 

A mediator: one who takes a middle position between two parties, and principally with the view of removing their differences (Job 9:32-34). A mediator bridges the gap—and the gap between God and man can only be ultimately bridged by the one Mediator, the Incarnate God/Man, Jesus the Messiah. 

 

I. The Messiah/Christ: the “Anointed One,” unique Holder of the Threefold Office

Jesus the CHRIST is the central figure whom the Old Testament foreshadows and the New Testament proclaims as the fulfillment of prophecy fact.

 

John 5:39-40: "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.

 

It is therefore essential to understand the biblical portrayal of the Messiah (Heb. masiah; Gk. Christos; the Annointed One), whom God has anointed to redeem his people and creation.

 

Unlike OT anointed office holders, we observe that Christ uniquely holds all three offices. Uzziah was severely judged when he unconstitutionally intruded upon the priest’s office (2 Chon. 26:16-21).

2 Chon. 26:16-21: But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor, and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God." Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense.  And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him. And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the land.

 

Messiah, however, was prophesized to be uniquely qualified to be both King and Priest, holding a higher Priesthood than Levi (Ps. 110:4, Heb. 5:5-6), joining the two offices (Zech. 6:9-15).

 

Ps. 110:4  The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek."

 

Zech. 6:9-15: ⁹The word of the LORD also came to me, saying, ¹⁰"Take an offering from the exiles, from Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah; and you go the same day and enter the house of Josiah the son of Zephaniah, where they have arrived from Babylon. ¹¹Take silver and gold, make an ornate crown and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹²Then say to him, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the LORD. ¹³Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the LORD, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices."' ¹⁴Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the LORD to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵Those who are far off will come and build the temple of the LORD." Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the LORD your God.

 

As we shall see, the OT expectation of Messiah was not simply that He would be a prophet, or a priest, or a king—but that He would embrace all three offices. Our Lord reminds His Disciples on the Road to Emmaus of this:

 

Luke 24:25-26: And He said to them, "O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?"

 

Thus, today, in order to fully appreciate and understand the work of Christ, we must nor view Him merely as a prophet, a priest, or a king, but rather as the Anointed Messiah in Whom all three offices are perfectly realized and fulfilled. We have in Him everything that we require! And we require much!

 

II. Question: Why a Threefold Office? Answer: we are a needy people!

We require a triple cure, or remedy for a threefold illness of ignorance, guilt, and the tyranny and bondage that oppresses us due to the pollution of sin…

 

1.    Ignorance. Our minds are darkened and clouded by sin…

We needed the supreme Prophet to reveal the Father and His will unto us…

 

2.    Guilt. We stand guilty before God in our guilt and shame…

We needed the ultimate High Priest to offer a perfect atonement for our transgressions… and who continually pleads our cause with the Father…

 

3.    Tyranny and bondage. We need the Stone not cut-out by human hands (Dan. 2) to crush the power-centers of this world and bring us the Kingdom of God… but who shall, in the meantime, powerfully reign over the hearts of His people.

We are polluted vessels, carrying a hopelessly corrupt sin nature around with us, making ourselves and our world miserable…

 

SUMMARY…

Let us close where we came in: The Heidelberg Catechism:

Q. Why is he called "Christ," meaning "anointed"?

A. Because he has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who perfectly reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God for our deliverance; our only high priest who has set us free by the one sacrifice of his body, and who continually pleads our cause with the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by his Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the freedom he has won for us.

 

“These three offices of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and King are the key to the purpose of the incarnation. His prophetic office was involved with the revealing of God’s message; the priestly office was related to his saving and intercessory work; His kingly office gave him the right to reign over Israel and the entire earth.” (Paul Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology)

 

We need no other Mediator or cures for what ails us… Thus, He is the only Way through which men must lawfully approach God.

 

In the threefold mediatorial Messianic Office, we find our cure! Let us in further messages examine the aspects of the so-called munus triplex, or "threefold office" in depth.