ASPECTS OF CHRIST'S WORK.

THE THREAD THAT RUNS THROUGHOUT CHRIST WORK, IS TO SPEAK OF THREE ASPECTS OF CHRIST'S WORK, NAMELY HIS ROLES AS; PROPHET, PRIEST, KING. ;HIS WORK AS "WISE MAN.".TO THESE WE SHALL ADD A FOURTH. CHRIST AS A PROPHET WITHIN THE LIFE OF ISRAEL. CHRIST'S WORK HAD A STRONGLY PROPHETIC CHARACTER. HE"FORETOLD," OR PROCLAIMED, THE MIND AND THE WILL OF THE 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, JUDGMENT, 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 " OLD COVENANT EXODUS 24:3:11; MARK 14:22-25.
CHRIST AS PRIEST : THE OLD TESTAMENT PRIEST CONDUCTED THE WORSHIP RITUALS AT VARIOUS SHRINES IN ISRAEL, AND OFFERED THE SPECIFIED SACRIFICES. HE WAS THE MEDIATOR  BETWEEN GOD AND MAN. JESUS WAS AND IS THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN GOD AND MAN. HE ALSO IS MEDIATOR BETWEEN HIS HEAVENLY FATHER AND MANKIND. HE OFFERED UP IN SACRIFICE NOT SOME DUMB ANIMAL, BUT "HIMSELF" AS THE "LAMB OF GOD" WHO 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 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).
 A KINGDOM OF GRACE: HE RULES THE CHURCH (EPHESIANS 1:22).
  A KINGDOM OF GLORY: HE RULES HEAVEN AND THE WORLD TO COME COLOSSIANS
  1:15-20). (REV. 3:14).
 CHRIST AS WISE MAN: THE OLD TESTAMENT CONTAINS A BODY OF LITERATURE KNOWN AS "WISDOM"--- PROVERBS, ECCLESIASTES, AND JOB. WISDOM WRITERS SOUGHT INSIGHTS INTO THE DIVE PLAN BEHIND THE UNIVERSE, AND DIRECTIONS FOR 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 TEACHER, (MATTHEW 2:11-12), SEE ALSO (1: KINGS 4:34), SOLOMON     .(10:23-25). DOING ALL THIS JESUS HAS TIME TO SHOW US THE VISIBLE 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. IF WE COULD SEE HIM AND KNOW WHAT HE IS LIKE, WE WOULD BE SATISFIED.
 JESUS:  HAVE I BEEN WITH YOU SUCH A LONG TIME, PHILIP, AND DO YOU STILL NOT KNOW WHO I AM? IF YOU HAVE SEEN 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 EVER SEEN GOD; THE ONLY SON, WHO IS IN THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER, HE HAS MADE HIM KNOWN. " JOHN 1:18 (PSALM 2:7) 1013: B.C) A.D).
"... the god OF THIS WORLD HAS BLINDED THE MINDS OF THE UNBELIEVERS, TO KEEP THEM FROM SEEING THE LIGHT OF THE GOSPEL OF THE GLORY OF CHRIST, WHO IS THE LIKENESS OF GOD.," 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 IN WHICH JESUS DEALT WITH PEOPLE IN NEED. (MATTHEW 8:1-4 (MESSIANIC SECRET).
THE TONE OF VOICE HE USED WHEN SPEAKING TO THOSE FEELING CRUSHED BY THE BURDEN OF HEIR SIN. LUKE 7: 36-50; NOTE VERSE (48-50)
JESUS SITS AT THE RIGHT OF THE FATHER. IN EPHESIANS 1 :19-23 PAUL SAYS: GOD'S LIMITLESS POWER WAS AT WORK IN THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST FROM THE DEAD, 1:19-20. THAT SAME MIGHTY POWER IS AT WORK IN THE HEARTS AND LIVES OF THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN CHRIST. 1:19).
 HE GOES ON TO SAY THAT, AFTER THE FATHER RAISED CHRIST FROM THE DEAD, " HE MADE HIM SIT AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES.,"1:20. WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN BY THIS STATEMENT? THESE WORDS HAVE THEIR ROOTS IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST, WHERE IT WAS A CUSTOM TO  PORTRAY THE RULER OF THE REALM SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF "god"  OF THE CITY OR NATION. THE IDEA WAS THAT THE KING RULED IN THe NAME OF, AND FOR, HIS "GOD;" HE HELD THE PLACE OF HONOR AND POWER. PAUL, THEN, IS SAYING THAT AFTER THE FATHER RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, HE GAVE HIM THE PLACE OF HONOR AND POWER IN THE UNIVERSE!  HIS IS A SOURCE OF GREAT COMFORT TO CHRISTIANS. IT TELLS THEM HISTORY IS NOT "JUST ONE FOOL" THING AFTER ANOTHER"  BECAUSE OF WHAT THE FATHER ACCOMPLISHED IN CHRIST THROUGH THE EVENTS OF THE CROSS. AND THE EMPTY TOMB, LIFE IS NO LONGER "A TALE TOLD BY AN IDIOT, FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING,"  AS ONE OF SHAKESPEARE'S CHARACTERS  SUGGESTS IN A WAY NOT ALWAYS OBVIOUS TO HUMAN EYES, EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS CONTRIBUTES TO GOD'S GRAND DESIGN FOR THE UNIVERSE.
JUST THINK! THROUGHOUT THE COUNTLESS GALAXIES OF OUR CREATED ORDER, WITH ITS BILLION OF SUNS  AND PLANETS, JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!  OUR ELDER BROTHER (MATT:46-50) HAS BEEN ENTRUSTED WITH THE AUTHORITY TO RUN THE UNIVERSE  AND THE WORLD IN PARTICULAR, ACCORDING TO GOD'S PLAN. WE  KNOW THE ONE WHO IS IN CHARGE!
THOUGH AT TIMES WE KNOW MEN AT TIMES APPEAR TO BE IN CONTROL OF HISTORY, CHRIST IS IN CONTROL--- CHRIST, WHO LOVED US ENOUGH TO GIVE UP LIFE ITSELF. THEREFORE, WE CHRISTIANS HAVE A PRECIOUS SENSE OF SECURITY ABOUT LIFE, DEATH, AND ETERNITY. WE ARE IN GOOD HANDS ( IN ALL ,PLACES AND AT ALL TIMES, PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7).