One Mediator

The Mediator

I want to draw you attention to one verse here in 1 Timothy 2 in particular, and that’s going to be 1 Timothy 2:5 which says

1 Timothy 2:5 ESV

For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

Paul, who wrote this letter to Timothy, calls Jesus a mediator between God and men. He goes on to connect this role as mediator to Jesus sacrifice on the cross. What this means for you and for me is that Jesus is the go between between us and God the Father. On our own we would not be able to go before God at all. It would be like if I showed up at the White House and demanded to speak to the president. They’d look at me with my lack of credentials and lack of position, and politely invite me to leave. And after I left, I’m sure that whatever guards had to deal with me would ask one another “who did that guy think he was?”

But now imagine this, imagine I’m out there at the security booth, insisting on talking to the president, and the secretary of state came rushing out of the White House. He flashes his ID, assures the guard that I am rightfully there to talk to the president, and takes me to see him.

Another way to think about it is to picture heaven. Well, picture heaven how I’m about to describe it I guess. You walk into a cavernous room and everything is perfectly beautiful. And at the front of the room there’s a incomprehensibly impressive throne. On that throne sits God. You walk into that room and it’s filled with people and angels, all clamoring for God’s attention. You look at the distance between you and God, you see His perfection, and the only thing you can think of is that you aren’t worthy to talk to Him. Until a man on His right hand side, a guy with holes in His hands and a gentle look in His eyes, taps on God’s shoulder and whispers something in His ear. After that, He beckons you forward and you get to approach the throne, be in the presence of God, and ask Him whatever you need to.

When Paul explains that Jesus mediates for us, he is saying that Jesus is the reason that God listens to us, Jesus is the reason we can stand in the presence of God, Jesus is the reason that we get to spend eternity with Him. With His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus stands with God the Father and marks us as His own. As He mediates for us, we can bring our prayers and ourselves to God.

Message Application

And what that means for us is this, we can go to God in prayer. Now, be honest, how many of you are comfortable praying by yourselves? How many of you are comfortable praying with your family? How many of you are comfortable praying with a small group? How many of you would feel comfortable coming up here and praying for the church in a little bit?

Now, again if we’re being honest, I think a huge part of that is the fact that public speaking is such a big deal for a lot of people. Not saying any of you are scared of anything, you fearless people, but statistically speaking most of you are probably scared of public speaking on some level. In fact, there’s a statistic that floats around - I wan’t able to confirm it with what I would consider a reputable source - but the stat is that 75% of people fear public speaking more than they fear death.

Putting that aside, the most common reasons people give me for not wanting to pray are things along the lines of “I can’t pray the right way” or “I don’t have the right words” or even just “I’m bad at praying.” You might’ve even given me that reason at one point or another. And I have to be totally honest with you, it takes some self-discipline for me to not immediately respond to you “that’s a dumb reason.”

Let me use this analogy. I want to think of your best friend in the world. If you’re married, it can be your spouse but that’s pretty cheesy, so maybe pick your second best friend in the world. Now imagine that you need a favor from that friend. Do you think that the way you ask is really going to change the answer? Do you think that if you forget to say “please” that your best friend is going to not help you out? Do you think that if you don’t frame the request in just the right way that your best friend is going to bail on you? No, probably not. And when you go to God in prayer, do you think that the way you ask is really going to change the answer? Do you think that if you forget to use just the right language that your heavenly Father who loves you enough to die for you is not going to hear you? Do you think that if you don’t phrase the prayer in a “church-y” sounding way that God will ignore you? No, Jesus is sitting at God’s right hand, making sure that your prayers are heard, even if they’re rough around the edges.

So pray! My challenge to you is this, every day for the month of February, set a timer for five minutes. At some point in your day, start that timer, close your eyes, bow your head, and pray. Doesn’t have to be perfect, doesn’t have to sound any certain way, just talk to God - He has promised to hear you, and He’s smart enough to figure out what you mean, and what you need. Amen.