ONE GOD—ONE MEDIATOR
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 7, 2021 under 2021 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; March 7, 2021 from 1 Timothy 2:5-7
Theme: The news must go out that there is one Mediator between God and fallen humanity—the Man Christ Jesus.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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This morning, we will be observing the Lord’s supper—in which we remember and express our thanks for the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. That’s never something to do thoughtlessly. And so, it’s always good, on such a morning, to take the time to consider carefully the good news of what Jesus has done for us.
Let’s prepare ourselves, then, by looking at one of the many passages of scripture that teaches us about what Jesus has done. You’ll find this morning’s passage in 1 Timothy 2. In it, we read about what Jesus has done for us within the larger context of—surprisingly—the call for us to pray for our civil leaders and for those in governmental authority.
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The apostle Paul was writing to his beloved friend and younger colleague, Pastor Timothy. In this letter, he was urging Timothy to be diligent in his role as a pastor; and to work hard to protect the sacred treasure that had been entrusted to him. That treasure was the message of the gospel. And so, Paul wrote to him and said;
Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth (1 Timothy 2:1-7).
Now; before we look at what this passage tells us about the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for us, let’s spend just a little time talking about the larger context in which it’s found—that is, its call to us to pray for our leaders.
Do you, dear brothers and sisters, pray for our nation and for its leaders? It’s certainly true that we talk an awful lot about them. And sadly, we spend an inordinate amount of time criticizing them. I’m guilty in this; and I suspect you are too. But which thing would God want most from us? That we criticize them or that we pray for them? I think we know the answer; don’t we?
That’s not to say, of course, that we shouldn’t communicate to them, or let our wishes be known to them, or even to express our grievances to them. That, in our system of representative government, is part of our duty. But here, in this passage, we’re commanded to do much more. As followers of Jesus, we’re commanded to do what no one else but followers of Jesus can do; and that is, to pray for those in authority in the name of Jesus. If we spent at least as much time praying for them as we do criticizing them, I wonder how different things would be for all of us? I wonder how much it would transform the many things that we now spend the bulk of our time criticizing? If every time we felt tempted to speak a word against them we stopped and prayed right then for them, I suspect that it would dramatically change the way we speak of them. After all, we can’t speak harsh things about them and then pray to our heavenly Father for them at the same time.
And in fact, let’s try an experiment; brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s ask God to help us—every time we’re tempted to speak a word against any of our civic and governmental leaders—to stop ourselves and pray for them instead. I feel certain that, if we did that consistently, we would end up criticizing them less … and praying for them more. And knowing the power of God to answer the prayers of His people, just think of what a difference that would make!
Look again at how it is that the apostle Paul urges us to pray. He exhorts that “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority …” ‘Supplications’ speaks of requests and pleadings before God in general. ‘Prayers’ has with it the idea of reverent worship of God. And ‘intercessions’ speaks of lifting up specific people and particular situations. And of course, the giving of thanks acknowledges God’s sovereign care and provision in all things. Altogether, this is meant to tell us to pray in all kinds of ways.
And then notice who it is that these different kinds of prayer should be offered up for. He said that it’s for “all men” in general (that is to say, all ‘people’); and for rulers and those in authority in particular. When it comes to the concerns of our government and our culture, prayer is honestly the most effective and powerful thing that we can do. Our prayers move the hand of the almighty God, and the Bible tells us in Proverbs 21:1 that “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord …”
And then, I ask you to notice what it is that we’re to pray for. Paul writes that it’s “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” We are to pray for those in authority, but not just so that we may all lead peaceful and prosperous lives and experience ‘the American dream’. Rather, it’s that we may be kept free to live the kind of lives of obedience and faithfulness to God that He wants us to live. It’s that we may be kept free in order to obey God and do His will. We’re to pray for our leaders so that we enjoy liberty and freedom; but not liberty and freedom as ends in and of themselves. Rather, it’s that we may enjoy the liberty and freedom to do God’s will and to speak forth His word.
And even that is not all there is to it. Notice finally why we’re to pray for our leaders in this way—and why we’re to seek true freedom and liberty. Paul says, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” The highest and most eternal purpose for our civil freedom and liberty in this land is so that we might be used by God to bring other people into another kingdom—an everlasting kingdom—the kingdom of Jesus Christ. In other words, we must pray for our leaders so that we will live peaceful and godly lives in order to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the salvation of people’s souls.
Dear brothers and sisters; if that doesn’t motivate you to pray for our leaders, what will?
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Now; it’s in that context that the apostle Paul goes on to tell us about the gospel—this wonderful message that we are entrusted with, and love, and live to declare to the world. He gives us seven basic points that we need to remember. And altogether, they teach us that the news must go out that there is one Mediator between God and humanity—the Man Christ Jesus.
First, in describing the gospel to us, Paul affirms to us that …
1. THERE IS ONLY ONE GOD.
He says in verse 5, “For there is one God …”
I was standing in downtown Portland once; and I saw a young man walk past a believer who was distributing Christian literature. The Christian told this passing man, “God loves you.” And the man turned as he hurriedly went past and said—in a rather derisive tone—“Which God?”; and walked away. I often think of that incident when I read this verse. I wish someone could have told that man, “The only God there is; because there is just one God—the God of the Bible—our Creator.”
There is only one God. The Jewish people—from ancient times all the way to today—recite the Shema. That name comes from the Hebrew command “Hear!”; and it’s taken from Deuteronomy 6:4; “Hear, O Israel:The Lord our God, the Lord is one!” The meaning of that is that the Lord our God is the Lord alone. There isn’t a plurality of gods. There is only one—and no other. In Isaiah 45:5-6, God Himself speaks to His people Israel and says;
I am the Lord, and there is no other;
There is no God besides Me.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me,
That they may know from the rising of the sun to its setting
That there is none besides Me.
I am the Lord, and there is no other (Isaiah 45:5-6).
We understand this in the light of the Bible’s teaching about the mystery of the Trinity. There is one God who exists in three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—co-equal and co-eternal in a relationship of eternal love. But together, they are but one God. And that’s an important part of our message to the world of what Jesus has done for us. It’s that there isn’t a god for this nation, and a god for that nation. There isn’t a god for this people group and a god for that people group. There isn’t ‘my’ god, and ‘your’ god, and ‘someone else’s god’. There isn’t any other creator of humanity. There is only one God. He is our one and only Creator; and He alone has a total and exclusive right to our worship and obedience. It is with Him alone that we must give an account.
But we have sinned. Our sins have separated us from the one true and only God. He is holy; and He cannot have any relationship with sin. Our first parents sinned and broke the relationship with Him in the garden; and now, all of us who are born from them into this world are born with a broken relationship toward the one and only God. It’s because of that broken relationship that people have made up other gods for themselves—and other systems of religion. Or it’s because of that broken relationship that people have turned away from the idea of God altogether. It’s why people cynically ask, “Which God?” It’s why people have plunged themselves into sin and emptiness and despair. How can we bridge the gap our sins have created. How can we have a relationship with the one true God who made us? How can we enter into fellowship with the One who made us for Himself? How can we be made whole again?
And that’s when Paul tells us another important aspect of the gospel; and that is that …
2. THERE IS ONLY ONE MEDIATOR.
He tells us that “there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus …”
A mediator is someone who stands between two parties and brings them together. The two parties that have been separated from one another are “God and man”—or as we would put it today, “God and humanity”. It was the sin of humanity—first brought upon us by Adam and Eve—that separated us from God. And it can’t be we ourselves who bridge the gap, because it’s we ourselves who are the problem. If we tried, we’d be bringing our sin and our guilt along with us in the attempt. Someone else needs to mend the rift between us and God; and that Person is Jesus Christ.
Now; just as there are not many gods but only one God, there also aren’t many mediators but only one Mediator—the Man Christ Jesus. One of the very important parts of our message of the gospel is that people can only find reconciliation to God through one Mediator—Jesus. They may and often do try other things—religious ceremonies, good deeds, personal sacrifices; or even other false spiritualities. But none of these things will reconcile us to God or make us right with Him. The one true and only God has provided for us the one and only true Mediator; and that is Jesus Christ. As the apostle Peter once put it;
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
And notice something else that is declared in our gospel; and that’s that …
3. THIS MEDIATOR IS ONE OF US.
Paul calls him “the Man Christ Jesus”. There’s great significance in the fact that Jesus is called by the title “the Christ”; because the name ‘Christ’—which means, ‘the Messiah’ or ‘the Anointed One’—speaks especially of His humanity in the light of His deity.
Whoever it would be that would serve as the Mediator between God and humanity must Himself be fully God; because only God could be without sin. But in order to truly mediate between God and humanity, this Mediator must also be fully human. And that’s what Jesus is—both fully God and fully man. The Bible tells us about
… Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).
As fully God, He could live a sinless life of obedience to the Father on our behalf. And as fully human, He could die on the cross and pay the full debt for our sin. He—and He alone—is the perfect Mediator, because He truly was one of us.
And what’s more, we’re told that …
4. HE GAVE HIMSELF WILLINGLY.
Paul says that He is “the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself …” He went to the cross willingly. He yielded Himself to suffer the punishment for our sins on our behalf out of love. When He walked on this earth as He was making His way to the cross, He told His disciples,
“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).
And not only did He come willingly to be our Mediator, but His coming was also in accordance with the will of the Father. It’s the Father’s desire that fallen humanity be reconciled to Himself. This was told to us in verse 4; where we were told, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” It’s told to us—in the clearest way of all—in John 3:16-17;
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved (John 3:16-17).
It’s very important that we tell the people of this world that the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of God’s love for them.
Now; how did God accomplish this? How did God take away our sins and make it possible for sinners like us to be reconciled to Himself? It was through Jesus; because …
5. HE SERVES AS A RANSOM FOR ALL.
A ransom is a payment that buys someone out of slavery or servitude or even the sentence of death. And when the apostle Paul spoke of this, he used a word that is found nowhere else in the New Testament. He used a word that means “an ‘instead of’ ransom”. Jesus didn’t just bring the purchase price for our ransom in His hand. Instead, He gave Himself. The apostle Paul was basically saying that there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as an ‘instead of’ or an ‘in place of’ ransom for all. His one sacrifice on the cross is sufficient to serve as the payment of the debt of sin for any and every person in all of human history—from all around the world—who places his or her faith in Him.
Do you know what Paul said of Jesus in Titus 2:13-14? He called Jesus
our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works (Titus 2:13-14).
Now; Paul goes on to tell us a couple of other things about this wonderful gospel message. He said that …
6. THIS GOOD NEWS CAME AT THE RIGHT TIME.
You see; this wasn’t a plan for our redemption that God thought up in the heat of the moment. It was His plan before the world ever was—before we ever were. It was a mystery kept in the heart of God through the centuries; but as Paul tells us, Jesus “gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time …”
After Adam and Eve fell, God clothed them in skins. That was a symbol to them that something had to die for their sins; and that—one day—a perfect Redeemer would come. Mankind wandered about on the earth in this expectation and hope. God even gave the Jewish people His holy law; and for those cases in which they broke His law, God gave the offerings and sacrifices to be made in anticipation of this forward-looking hope. None of those offerings or sacrifices could ever take away their sin. They were only meant to fix their hope on the Mediator who would one day come and who would give His life a ransom for many.
And that day finally came. As it tells us in Galatians 4:4-5;
when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4-5).
At just the right time in human history, the Son of God was born into the world as the one and only Mediator between God and men; “who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time …”
And that leads us to one more very important point about this gospel. So far, we’ve seen that there is one God, and that there is one Mediator between God and men. We’ve seen that He Himself is one of us—a man like us. We’ve seen that He came willingly as a ransom for all; and that He came at just the right time. And now, we see that …
7. GOD WANTS THIS NEWS PROCLAIMED.
The apostle Paul put it this way in verse 7; that the witness of this is to be born in due time, “for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.”
Paul’s appointment was unique. He was made by God to be an apostle. He gave the gospel message in an original and authorized sense. We simply declare the gospel that was given to him. But it has been entrusted to us; and now, it’s our task to deliver it to the world. What he wrote in 2 Corinthians 5:18-21 applies to us too:
Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:18-21).
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All of this is important for us to remember when we come to the Lord’s table. It’s what we embrace and receive to ourselves by faith when we partake of His supper. It’s why we are commanded to faithfully pray for peace and freedom. It’s why we live on this earth. It’s the message that has been entrusted to us, and that we are to joyfully proclaim to this world.
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time …
EA
