Christ the Mediator (2)

Rocky Pugh

What Baptists Believe • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Introduction

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1 Timothy 2:5–6 NASB95

For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.

[Prayer]

Tonight we are going to look at Jesus’ offices as the One Mediator between God and men.

Those offices are His offices of Prophet, Priest, and King.

Under the first paragraph of “Christ the Mediator” in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, it says...

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.”

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century VIII. Christ the Mediator

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.

Under the ninth paragraph, the 1689 confession says...

Stan Reeves, Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2012), 23.

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.

Stan Reeves, Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2012), 26.

[CIT] As Mediator, Jesus is the Prophet revealing God to , the Priest reconciling us to God, and the King ruling and conquering.

[TS] Let’s look at each office...

Major Ideas

#1: As Mediator, Jesus is the Prophet revealing God to us ().

John 1:14–18 NASB95

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. John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ” For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

John 1:14-18

[Exp] A prophet was tasked with declaring the Word of God to God’s people. As the Word made flesh, Jesus is the Prophet par excellence.

In , Jesus is the Word. He was in the beginning; He was with God, and He was God (). In His incarnation, Jesus didn’t stop being the Word (i.e., He didn’t stop being God). Rather, as God, He took on flesh and dwelt (or pitched His tent or tabernacled) among us. Jesus was God in the flesh dwelling with man as a man!

He was glorious, full of grace and truth, preeminent, eternal, gracious and the very embodiment of grace and truth!

But notice v. 18...

John 1:18 NASB95

No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Some in the OT had seen partial revelations of God, but the revelation of God in Jesus Christ was far greater because Jesus was God; He was in the bosom of the Father (or we might say, in the very heart of God); and He explained God to us.

That word “explained” in v. 18 might be “declared” or “made known” in your translation. Any good book on preaching will tell you that you want to exegete the text, which means to expose or explain the meaning of the text. The word used here in for explained, declared, or made known is where the word exegete comes from.

Jesus exposes God as He is to us. In Himself, He explains God to us. As Jesus is and does, so God is and does.

Many prophets declared the Word of God, but Jesus is the Prophet par excellence. He is the Word of God made flesh, very God of very God, declaring God to us as He is.

[Illus] Sometimes we confuse prophecy with prediction. Under the title “Prophetic Goofs,” I found the following list of predictions that eventually proved wrong.

The book, The World’s Worst Predictions lists some of history’s all-time prophetic goofs.

• King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution.

King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution.

An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm’s newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship was unsinkable.

• An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm’s newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship was unsinkable.

In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn’t have time for it.

• In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn’t have time for it.

• An English astronomy professor said in the early 19th century that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate.

An English astronomy professor said in the early 19th century that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate.

It’s humorous to look back on a list like that, but when we think of prophecy, we shouldn’t think primarily of prediction. We should think of revelation. When we think of a prophet, we shouldn’t think of one who predicts the future but one who reveals the truth of God.

As the Prophet par excellence Jesus reveals the truth of God.

Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002).

[App] That being the case...

Let us study Jesus’ Word; which is to say, let us study the Bible because it all points to Him, and He is the revelation of God.

Let us study Jesus’ way because His way is the way of God.

And let us worship Jesus because He is God.

[TS] That’s Jesus, the Mediator, as Prophet...

#2: As Mediator, Jesus is the Priest who has reconciled us to God ().

Colossians 1:21–22 NASB95

And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

[Exp] The priest was tasked with reconciling God and His people through the offering of sacrifice. As the Great High Priest who offers Himself as sacrifice, Jesus is the Priest par excellence.

In , the Apostle Paul laid out the problem between God and man. Because of sin against God, man are alienated from God and actually hostile toward God. God is holy (separate from sin and without sin) and man is engaged in evil deeds.

Because of our hostility toward God and our engagement with sin, we were unwilling and unable to come to God, so God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had to take the initiative in reconciling us to Himself.

That’s what says...

Colossians 1:22 NASB95

yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach—

Jesus, our Great High Priest, who was tempted in every way and yet knew no sin () offered Himself without blemish to God ().

And although it was on a Roman cross just outside of Jerusalem that Jesus died, it was ultimately in Heaven itself that Jesus appeared in the presence of God as the sacrifice for our sins. Listen to ...

Hebrews 9:24–26 NASB95

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; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Jesus, our Great High Priest, has reconciled us to God through the giving of Himself as the once for all sacrifice for sin.

[Illus] There is a story about two coworkers who were at odds with one another. At a New Year’s Eve party, another coworker said to one of the men, “You must be reconciled. It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year.”

So the man crossed the room and said to the man that he was at odds with, “I wish you a happy New Year, but only one!”

One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Symour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. “You must,” Hicks said to Lonsdale. “It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year.”

• King George II said in 1773 that the American colonies had little stomach for revolution.

So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. “I wish you a happy New Year,” he said, “but only one.”

• An official of the White Star Line, speaking of the firm’s newly built flagship, the Titanic, launched in 1912, declared that the ship was unsinkable.

• In 1939 The New York Times said the problem of TV was that people had to glue their eyes to a screen, and that the average American wouldn’t have time for it.

[App] The reconciliation that Jesus offers to us is not a short-lived reconciliation. It is not temporary at all. Nor is it a reconciliation that still harbors feelings of distrust or anger. It is a complete, thorough, eternal reconciliation that Jesus has offered for us in Heaven by offering Himself as our sacrifice.

• An English astronomy professor said in the early 19th century that air travel at high speed would be impossible because passengers would suffocate.

[TS] That’s Jesus, the Mediator, as Priest...

Galaxie Software, 10,000 Sermon Illustrations (Biblical Studies Press, 2002).

[TS]

#3: As Mediator, Jesus is the King rescues us and conquers our enemies ().

Luke 1:68–75 NASB95

“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant— As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old— Salvation from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us; To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father, 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.

[Exp] Zacharias (or Zechariah) was the father of John the Baptist. After John was born and named, he prophesied about the coming King for whom his son, John, would pave the way. Among other things, he said that this coming King from the house of David (the house of Israel’s kings) would bring salvation and rescue from enemies so that God’s people might serve Him without fear but in holiness and righteousness forever.

That King was, of course, King Jesus who rescues us by conquering man’s most potent enemies—sin and death.

[Illus] I was talking with our children last night about how before Christ we are slaves to sin, but now that Christ has come, we are no longer slaves. I explained it like this, “Let’s say there was a land that we all used to live in, and that land was rule by King Sin. We were slaves to King Sin. He made us think sin, do sin, say sin, and serve sin. Eventually King Sin was going to kill us. But then Christ came and we died to sin. King Sin came looking for us, ‘Where are they? They must serve me!’ But we had died to sin and were slaves to it no longer because King Jesus had set us free by giving His life for us.”

[App] As King, Jesus rescues us from the curse of sin and death.

As King, Jesus conquers our greatest enemies—the enemies of sin and death.

Now, we are set free not to serve ourselves by to serve King Jesus.

[TS] {see below}

Conclusion

Under paragraph 10 on Christ the Mediator, the 1689 Baptist confession says...

Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century VIII. Christ the Mediator

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.45 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.

Let us give Jesus praise tonight.

He has revealed God to us.

Stan Reeves, Confessing the Faith: The 1689 Baptist Confession for the 21st Century (Cape Coral, FL: Founders Press, 2012), 26.

He has reconciled us to God.

He has rescued us by conquering sin and death.

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