Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

“Jesus comes as a Prophet”

John 12v49 “I don’t speak on my own authority. The Father who sent me has commanded me what to say and how to say it.” (NLT)

In the Old Testament a Prophet typically did two things:

• God spoke through them (all prophets)
• God worked miracles through them (most significantly Moses, Elijah, Elisha, but also others)

Jesus clearly fulfils both of these criteria. But, for now, let’s focus on the God-speaking element.

Looking forward to Jesus, Moses wrote, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15). And in the New Testament, the writer of Hebrews wrote, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,”  (Hebrews 1:1-2).

Jesus is greater than all the Old Testament prophets – he is God’s Son. He communicates what is on God’s heart. We must listen to him.

In our world, there are many voices competing for our attention. The voices we listen to will impact our thoughts, decisions and emotions. We have to choose to listen to Jesus. It is a conscious decision to stop doing something else and listen to him. Are you taking time to listen to Jesus this Advent?

With love and blessing,

Roland