1st Timothy Series - The Mediator for All People

                                  

The Mediator for All People 

1 Tim. 2:5-7

In christology, the study of Christ, is the doctrine of Christ’s sacrificial work on the cross. He is the Lamb of God (John 1:29), the propitiation and atonement for sins, and many more doctrinal attributes are attributed to Him. Paul brings us to Christ being the mediator (high priest), the only one who could represent God to men and men to God, and to bring reconciliation between God the Father and mankind. (John 14:6, Heb.8:3-6) So let’s look at the first portion of our text, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all people.” 

Paul instructs and reviews with Timothy and the church in Ephesus on Jesus’  high priest’s role in heaven. 

First, he affirms the oneness of God known to the Israelites from the beginning, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.” (Deut. 6:4-6) the Shema. And as mediator, it was the high priest’s responsibility to present the sacrificial offering to God to atone for the sins of mankind every year. Jesus fulfilled this on the cross. He is not only the high priest but the atoning sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. He died on the cross as the propitiation, the appeasing offering of his body and his blood for the sins of all mankind.

Paul understood from scripture and from his inspiration from the Holy Spirit, that Jesus sat at the Father’s right hand in heaven and represented men before God the Father. As a mediator, Paul knew Jesus was the only way mankind could covenant with God “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15) Paul knew God is love, and in this is the new covenant made before God through his Son Jesus Christ. 

This covenant of love was established at the creation, and was completely expressed by God the Father in giving his only begotten Son as the only sacrifice of sinlessness that God could accept. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17) It was this salvation, this work of grace and faith that the Father provided and the Son fulfilled. The new covenant was through the Son, the mediator between God the Father and mankind. “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15)

Application - Before I came to know Jesus Christ as my Savior, I had One who knew me and had already mediated my sins before the Father. I didn’t know Jesus, but he knew me. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8) I didn’t know that this Savior, King, High Priest was interceding on my behalf along with others who were praying for me. It wasn’t until I believed and covenant with my Jesus and received forgiveness and eternal life. The Mediator in Heaven covered me with his atoning blood to cleanse me and enabled me to come before the throne of grace to receive mercy and love in confidence, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)

This is the message for our days. Many are talking of how to save America, or themselves from the great magnitude of sin that has beset this country. This country needs Jesus! It needs to repent before the Mediator between God and mankind. This is the only way the people will be saved and their country healed. “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chr. 7:14)

Last, Paul reveals to them that the time of salvation is today, the proper time, the appointed time is now. Let’s look at the last portion of the text, “This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle—I am telling the truth, I am not lying—and a true and faithful teacher of the Gentiles.”

Paul and Timothy were called to be witnesses of Christ’s new covenant of salvation through his atonement for man’s sins and his representation of mankind before the Father. Not only was Paul a witness of the risen Lord, he also was chosen and appointed to be a herald and apostle by Christ personally, “But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ” (Acts 9:15)

It seems Paul was continually having to contend for himself before others. But God had proven over and over in Paul’s life that the calling was true. “Through him we received grace and apostleship to call all the Gentiles to the obedience that comes from faith for his name’s sake.” (Rom. 1:5) “When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.” (1 Cor. 2:1-5)

The truth of God is always attested by the scripture. For Paul believed God’s word is infallible (perfectly accurate), immutable (unchangeable and fixed), and inherent (fundamental and emanating from God himself). He was staunch on the scripture being Holy Spirit inspired and God-given for administering the truth to the world. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

For Jesus had chosen the twelve apostles that he mentored while on earth. Matthias was chosen by the scriptures as revealed by Peter as the disciples were in constant prayer (Acts 1:14). “For,” said Peter, “it is written in the Book of Psalms: “‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it, and, “‘May another take his place of leadership.’ (Acts 1:20)

 Peter then gave the requirements for a replacement for Judas’ place being led by the Holy Spirit. “Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus was living among us, beginning from John’s baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.” (Acts 1:21-22)

Paul’s life as a missionary and apostle was of the testimony of the grace, mercy, and power of God. He was chosen to herald the Truth, Jesus Christ in his personal life, and to proclaim Jesus as the Christ the Savior to the Gentile world from the scripture, the Truth of God. Paul knew from day one of his conversion to be Jesus’ chosen instrument that people weren’t going to believe him purely on his personal credentials as a Pharisee. He knew that in his weakness he would be strengthened and led by the Holy Spirit and the message of the cross was confirmed by the power of God. 

Jesus was definitely interceding and mediating on Paul’s behalf before all men. Paul stoodfirm on the scriptures and the truth and faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Application - In these last days, truth is always questioned, and mostly harangued by the world and the god of this world. But it is the Light of the Truth that has come into the world that they detest, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3:19) 

We are not apostles, but we have become heralds and witnesses of our resurrected Lord Jesus Christ when we believed in him and he sent His Holy Spirit from the Father to live in us. “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.” (John 14:16-17)

Like the disciples, Paul and all believers, our identification is not in titles but in our service to him, I am a saint (Ephesians 1:18). I am the salt and light of the earth (Matthew 5:13-14). I have been chosen and God desires me to bear fruit (John 15:1,5; Eph. 1:4-5). I am a personal witness of Jesus Christ (Acts 1:8). I am a child of God (1 John 3:2). I am indwelled and sealed by the Holy Spirit who guarantees my inclusion into the family of God. (Eph. 1:13-14)

In closing this lesson, it all comes back to the truth. The only truth we have today is the Holy Word of God. It is in this Word that the Holy Spirit speaks to us today. In the book of Hebrews, the author begins with these words, “In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” (Heb. 1:1-3)

For Jesus told us that the Holy Spirit would only speak the words that he told him to speak or had already spoken. “For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God… But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you…But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.” (John 3:34, 14:26, 16:13-14 )

So we have no excuses for not knowing the truth in our day. Jesus said that in the last days, many will come with a word that will deceive and even with signs and wonders that could even fool the elect of God. “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” (Matt. 24:24) But we have the Word of God in our hands and in us, so that we can discern the spirit of the spoken words “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1) 

So Let us thank our Lord Jesus for giving us all we need to live in these days before his coming.

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis