Jesus: Prophet, Priest, King Series

Jesus: Prophet, PRIEST, King

Pastor Jefferson M. Williams

Chenoa Baptist Church

11-09-2025

Aslan is on the Move

This past weekend, the Goose and I started the “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” I’ve wanted to read this to her for years and now she’s old enough to follow the story and understand the message. (Not growing up in a Christian home,I didn’t read the Chronicles of Narnia book series until I was in my 20s).

C.S. Lewis wrote some of the most beloved books in the history of Christianity. He said that he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia with a very specific purpose in mind. He wanted to give children categories, or types, or word pictures, to help them understand the Gospel.

When they hear the Gospel they would have a framework to make sense of it.

When they first understand that they are sinners held in bondage by satan and are hopeless and helpless to save themselves, they would automatically say, “Just like Edmond was held in bondage to the White Witch.”

When they are told the Good News that Jesus willingly died in their place to pay the ransom for our sins, they will smile and say, “I know that story! Aslan died on the stone table to take Edmond’s punishment and buy him back from the White Witch.”

When they are told that Jesus didn’t stay dead but was resurrected in power and lives forever more as our Savior, they will remember this scene.

[Aslan’s Resurrection - Youtube stop at 1:59]

“The witch would have known that when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead, the Table would crack and Death itself would start working backwards.”

In the Old Testament, after the fall, God instituted three offices or patterns.

Prophets - revealed God’s will to the people

Priests - mediated between a sinful people and a holy God

Kings - led the people as a representative of God

The prophets would be foretellers - they would reveal what would happen in the future, and forth-tellers, revealing the messages from God, most often a message of judgement and a call to return to the Lord.

The prophets were agents of revelation, facing the people, speaking for God (thus says the Lord) and making God know to them.

From Moses to Malachi, God called and used these prophets to proclaim His Word to His people.

They used sermons, word pictures, and even props to make their point.

They were used to call out the Israelites and their constant running after false gods and to call them to repent and return to the Lord.

But, if you read the whole Old Testament, you see another pattern emerging. These prophets were pointing to something, or better yet, SomeOne, out in the distant future. They couldn’t see the whole picture but God would give them glimpses of future glory.

They all looked back to the promise of Genesis 3:15 when God curses the serpent:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Gen 3:15)

The word “offspring” is literally “seed” and it is singular. Already, we see the Gospel taking shape. Satan would strike at this Seed’s heel but, in the end, the seed, the Promised One, would crush satan’s head once and for all.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see the prophets giving us hints of Who that seed would be.

Moses writes of this Promised One:

"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.” (Duet 18:15)

The writer of Hebrews begins:

“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, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Hebrews 1:1-3)

Jesus is the last and greatest prophet. He is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament Messianic prophecies.

He is the perfect communicator of God’s will and words to us. He is far superior to any of the other prophets because He is God’s own self-revelation, not just another messenger.

He was mighty in word, in prayer, in deed, and in suffering.

If you missed last week, you can always watch it online.

This morning, we are going to look at Jesus, our high priest from Hebrews 5.

Prayer

A Picture of a Priest

Every culture around the world has some sort of religion and, in that religion, they have priests to make sacrifices to and appease the gods for the people.