ASPECTS OF CHRIST WORK.

 IT IS TRADITIONAL TO SPEAK OF THREE ASPECTS OF CHRIST'S WORK, NAMELY HIS ROLES AS:
1. PROPHET
 2. PRIEST
 3. KING.
TO THESE WE SHAL ADD A FOURTH: HIS WORK AS "WISE MAN."
 CHRIST AS A PROPHET, WE WILL DISCUSS THE ROLE OF A PROPHET WITHIN THE LIFE OF ISRAEL. CHRIST WORK HAD A STRONGLY PROPHETIC CHARACTER (DEUT.18:18).
"FORETOLD," OR PROCLAIMED, THE MIND OR WILL OF HIS HEAVENLY FATHER,
JOHN (17:8) AS MOSES LED OLD ISRAEL OUT OF BONDAGE, AND WAS THE ONE THROUGH WHOM GOD MADE THE OLD COVENANT AT SINAI, SO CHRIST LED  MANKIND OUT OF BONDAGE TO SIN, SATAN, JUDGEMENT AND DEATH, "REVELATION" (5:9). THROUGH THE SHEDDING OF HIS BLOOD ON THE CROSS., HE ESTABLISHED A NEW COVENANT BETWEEN GOD AND MAN, HEBREWS ( 8:6-12)  JEREMIAH (31:31-34) read first, EXODUS  (24:3-11);  MARK (14:22-25).
CHRIST AS PRIEST:  THE OLD TESTAMENT PRIEST CONDUCTED THE WORSHIP RITUALS AT THE VARIOUS SHRINES IN ISRAEL, AND OFFERED THE SPECIFIED SACRIFICES. HE WAS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HIS HEAVENLY FATHER AND MANKIND. HE OFFERED UP IN SACRIFICE NOT SOME "DUMB ANIMAL,"  "BUT HIMSELF" AS THE "LAMB OF GOD. THAT TAKES AWAY THE SIN OF THE WORLD," 
(JOHN (1:29,36);  HEBREWS (9:11-14). STILL TODAY HE BRINGS THE NEEDS OF HIS PEOPLE BEFORE THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER (ROMANS 8:34), AND SERVES THEM THROUGH HIS WORD AND SACRAMENTS.
"CHRIST AS KING" THE NEW TESTAMENT USES A NUMBER OF TERMS TO DESCRIBE JESUS AUTHORITY IN THE UNIVERSE;  THE NEW  TESTAMENT ESPECIALLY THE GOSPELS, OFTEN REFERS TO JESUS ROLE AS "KING"e.g.  JOHN (18:33-19:22). IT IS TRADITIONAL TO SPEAK OF JESUS RULING A THREE- FOLD KINGDOM.:
A. KINGDOM OF POWER: HE RULES THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE (EPHESIANS 1:20,21).
B. KINGDOM OF GRACE: HE RULES THE CHURCH (EPHESIANS 1:22).
C. KINGDOM OF GLORY: HE RULES HEAVEN AND THE WORLD TO COME (COLOSSIANS 1;15-20).
CHRIST AS WISE MAN; THE OLD TESTAMENT CONTAINS A BODY OF LITERATURE KNOWN AS "WISDOM-" PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES, AND JOB. WISDOM WRITERS SOUGHT INSIDES INTO THE DIVINE PLAN BEHIND THE UNIVERSE, AND DIRECTIONS FOR A MEANINGFUL LIFE. TO POSSESS WISDOM WAS TO BE EQUIPPED TO LIVE IN HARMONY WITH THE CREATOR AND HIS CREATION. JESUS NOT ONLY TAUGHT TRUE WISDOM, BUT WAS THE LIVING DISPLAY OF WISDOM., 1 CORINTHIANS 1:24. IT IS LITTLE WONDER THAT THE WISE MEN FROM THE EAST PAID HOMAGE TO HIM AS THE GREATEST OF ALL WISDOM TEACHERS, MATTHEW 2:1-12;  SEE ALSO 1 KINGS
( 4:34),  10 :23-25).  HE VISIBLE SON SHOWS US THE INVISIBLE FATHER. JOHN RECORDS A SIGNIFICANT CONVERSATION BETWEEN JESUS AND THE DISCIPLES (14:7-11): PHILIP: "LORD SHOW US WHAT THE FATHER IS LIKE. HE IS INVISIBLE. WE CANNOT SEE HIM AND KNOW  WHAT HE IS LIKE, WE WOULD BE SATISFIED."
JESUS: " I HAVE BEEN WITH YOU SUCH A LONG TIME, PHILIP, AND DO YOU STILL NOT KNOW WHO I AM?  IF YOU SEE ME, YOU HAVE SEEN THE INVISIBLE FATHER. I MAKE HIM VISIBLE THROUGH MY PERSON, WORDS, AND WORKS.

THE FOLLOWING PASSAGES ARE RELEVANT: CHRIST IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, " COLOSSIANS 1:15).
" NO ONE HAS SEEN GOD; THE ONLY SON, WHO IS IN THE BOSOM OF OF THE FATHER, HE HAS MADE HIM KNOWN," JOHN (1:18  2:7)  PSALM (2:7). tHE "god OF THIS WORLD HAS BLINDED THE MINDS OF UNBELIEVERS, TO KEEP THEM FROM SEEING THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF GLORY OF CHRIST, WHO IS THE LIKENESS," 2 CORINTHIANS (1:4). " HE CHRIST REFLECTS THE GLORY OF GOD AND BEARS THE VERY STAMP OF HIS NATURE," HEBREWS 1:3). WE CAN DEEPEN OUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT OUR INVISIBLE GOD IS LIKE BY THINKING THROUGH WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT THE PERSON OF THE VISIBLE SON. CONSIDER: THE MANNER JESUS DEALT WITH THE PEOPLE IN NEED, MATTHEW (8:1-4 MESSIANIC SECRET). THE TONE OF HIS VOICE HE USED WHEN SPEAKING TO THOSE FEELING CRUSHED BY THE BURDEN OF THEIR SIN, LUKE 7:36-50; NOTE VERSES (48-50) CLAIM TO BE GOD, (44) HOSPITALITY  (GEN 18:4)
FOOT WASHING. THE BOLDNESS HE MANIFESTED WHEN CONFRONTING DEMONS AND  AND THOSE WHO SET OUT TO TEAR HIS TEACHINGS TO SHREDS, MARK 1:25; JOHN 8:42-47).  HIS READINESS TO SURRENDER HIMSELF INTO THE HANDS OF THOSE WHO WANTED TO DO AWAY WITH HIM, MARK 1O:17-22; JESUS FATE WAS SELF- CHOSEN. THE NEW TESTAMENT TEACHES THAT AS JESUS WAS WHILE ON EARTH, THE FATHER IS NOW! AS JESUS TREATED PEOPLE THEN, SO THE FATHER TREATS US NOW.
AS JESUS DISPOSITION  IS. AS JESUS WAS AND IS, THE FATHER IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE.