Christ the Mediator
What Baptists Believe • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 10 viewsNotes
Transcript
VIII Christ the Mediator
VIII Christ the Mediator
8:1 God was pleased, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them, to be the mediator between God and humanity (; ). God chose Him to be prophet (), priest () and king (; ), and to be head and savior of the church (), the heir of all things (), and judge of the world (). From all eternity, God gave to the Son a people to be His offspring. In time these people would be redeemed, called, justified, sanctified and glorified by Him (; ; ).
“Behold, My Servant, whom I uphold; My chosen one in whom My soul delights. I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations.
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you
“Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brethren; to Him you shall give heed to everything He says to you.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”; just as He says also in another passage, “You are a priest forever According to the order of Melchizedek.”
8:1 God was pleased, in His eternal purpose, to choose and ordain the Lord Jesus, His only begotten Son, according to the covenant made between them, to be the mediator between God and humanity. God chose Him to be prophet,2 priest and king,4 and to be head and savior of the church, the heir of all things,6 and judge of the world. From all eternity, God gave to the Son a people to be His offspring. In time these people would be redeemed, called, justified, sanctified and glorified by Him.8
“But as for Me, I have installed My King Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”
And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.
in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead.”
But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand.
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
8:2 The Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, is truly and eternally God. He is the brightness of the Father’s glory, the same in substance and equal with Him. He made the world and sustains and governs everything He has made. When the fullness of time came, He took upon Himself human nature, with all the essential properties and common weaknesses of it (; ) but without sin (; ; ). He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. The Holy Spirit came down upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. Thus, He was born of a woman from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of Abraham and David in fulfillment of the Scriptures (; , , ). Two whole, perfect, and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one person, without converting one into the other or mixing them together to produce a different or blended nature. This person is truly God and truly man, yet one Christ, the only mediator between God and humanity (; ).
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
Hebrews 2:
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.
Luke 1:27
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
8:3 The Lord Jesus, in His human nature united in this way to the divine in the person of the Son, was sanctified and anointed with the Holy Spirit beyond measure (; ; ). He had in Himself all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (). The Father was pleased to make all fullness dwell in Him () so that—being holy, harmless, undefiled (), and full of grace and truth ()—He was thoroughly qualified to carry out the office of mediator and guarantor (). He did not take this office upon Himself but was called to it by His Father (), who put all power and judgment in His hand and commanded Him to carry them out (, ; ; ).
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of joy above Your fellows.
“You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
“For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure.
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
For it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him,
For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
so much the more also Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”;
“For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son,
and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man.
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.”
8:4 The Lord Jesus most willingly undertook this office(; ; ). To discharge it, He was born under the law (; ) and perfectly fulfilled it. He also experienced the punishment that we deserved and that we should have endured and suffered (; ; ). He was made sin and a curse for us (). He endured extremely heavy sorrows in His soul and extremely painful sufferings in His body (; ; ). He was crucified and died and remained in a state of death, yet His body did not decay (). On the third day He arose from the dead () with the same body in which He suffered (). In this body He also ascended into heaven (; ), where He sits at the right hand of His Father, interceding (; ). He will return to judge men and angels at the end of the age (; ; ; ).
Then I said, “Behold, I come; In the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.”
Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “Sacrifice and offering You have not desired, But a body You have prepared for Me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have taken no pleasure. “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come (In the scroll of the book it is written of Me) To do Your will, O God.’ ” After saying above, “Sacrifices and offerings and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You taken pleasure in them” (which are offered according to the Law), then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will.” He takes away the first in order to establish the second. By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
“No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law,
But Jesus answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted Him.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”—
All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him.
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit;
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”
And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.
About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
but He whom God raised did not undergo decay.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
So the other disciples were saying to him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” After eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors having been shut, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then He said to Thomas, “Reach here with your finger, and see My hands; and reach here your hand and put it into My side; and do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
Isa
So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;
“And He ordered us to preach to the people, and solemnly to testify that this is the One who has been appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead.
For to this end Christ died and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
8:5 The Lord Jesus has fully satisfied the justice of God, obtained reconciliation, and purchased an everlasting inheritance in the kingdom of heaven for all those given to Him by the Father (; ). He has accomplished these things by His perfect obedience and sacrifice of Himself, which He once for all offered up to God through the eternal Spirit (; ; ).
even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.
For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
He
whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
8:6 The price of redemption was not actually paid by Christ till after His incarnation. Yet the virtue, efficacy and benefit of it was imparted to the elect in every age since the beginning of the world, in and by those promises, types, and sacrifices that revealed Him and pointed to Him as the seed that would bruise the serpent’s head (; ; ) and the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (). He is the same yesterday and today and forever ().
We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor.
For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.
All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
8:7 In His work of mediation, Christ acts according to both natures, by each nature doing what is appropriate to itself. Even so, because of the unity of the person, that which is appropriate to one nature is sometimes in Scripture attributed to the person under the designation of the other nature (; ).
“No one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven: the Son of Man.
“Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
8:8 To all those for whom Christ has obtained eternal redemption, He certainly and effectually applies and imparts it. He intercedes for them (; ; ; ), unites them to Himself by His Spirit, and reveals to them in and by His Word the mystery of salvation. He persuades them to believe and obey (; ; ) and governs their hearts by His Word and Spirit (, ). He overcomes all their enemies by His almighty power and wisdom (; ), using methods and ways that are perfectly consistent with His wonderful and unsearchable governance. All these things are by free and absolute grace, apart from any condition for obtaining it that is foreseen in them (; ).
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.
even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
“I ask on their behalf; I do not ask on behalf of the world, but of those whom You have given Me; for they are Yours;
For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.
“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.
For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
Ephesians 1:9
For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death.
“The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going; so is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight
8:9 This office of mediator between God and humanity is appropriate for Christ alone, who is the prophet, priest and king of the church of God. This office may not be transferred from Him to anyone else, either in whole or in part ().
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
8:10 The number and character of these offices is essential. Because we are ignorant, we need His prophetic office (). Because we are alienated from God and imperfect in the best of our service, we need His priestly office to reconcile us and present us to God as acceptable (; ). Because we are hostile and utterly unable to return to God, and so that we can be rescued and made secure from our spiritual enemies, we need His kingly office to convince, subdue, draw, sustain, deliver and preserve us for His heavenly kingdom (; ; ).
No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.
And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds,
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment;
Your people will volunteer freely in the day of Your power; In holy array, from the womb of the dawn, Your youth are to You as the dew.
To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.
Stan Reeves, Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2012), 23–26.
The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (Second Edition) Chalcedon, Council Of (451)
Chalcedon, Council of (451) Fourth ecumenical council, held at Chalcedon in Asia Minor, which reaffirmed the christological statements of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381). It confessed Jesus Christ as “one person with two natures,” human and divine, which are united but not mixed. This became the orthodox Christian theological description of the person of Jesus Christ. See also Christology.
The Westminster Dictionary of Theological Terms (Second Edition) Hypostatic Union
hypostatic union In theology, the union of the two natures, divine and human, in the one person Jesus Christ. It was defined at the Council of Chalcedon (451) to affirm the personal unity as well as the two natures. This reality is a divine mystery. See also Chalcedon, Council of.
mediation (Lat. mediatio, from mediare, “to be in the middle”) The bringing of parties together to try to effect a reconciliation. It is common to the various world religions in different forms. The principle is expressed throughout the Christian Scriptures.
mediator (Lat. medius, “middle”) One who stands between parties in order to effect a reconciliation. The term is applied to Jesus Christ as the “one mediator between God and humankind” (1 Tim. 2:5), who has effected reconciliation by overcoming sin (cf. Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24).
-------
The Natures of the Mediator
Human
Divine
[Illus]
[App]
[TS]
The Works of the Mediator
Oblation
Intercession
[Illus]
[App]
[TS]
The Offices of The Mediator
Prophet
Priest
King
[Illus]
[App]
[TS]
