Latest / Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons / Christ as Mediator (1 Timothy 2:1-7) - Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple

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Christ as Mediator (1 Timothy 2:1-7) - Pastor Kenneth Collins Maple · Fairview Presbyterian Church (PCA) Sermons

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Let's take our Bibles now and open up to 1st
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Timothy chapter 2. I have in the bulletin there
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just verse 5. I'm actually going to read verses
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1 through 7. Just as a reminder of what we've
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been doing, or perhaps this may be your first
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time with us, in these fourth Sunday evening
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worship services this year we have been looking
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at key doctrine. from Scripture, things that
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we believe to be true that are very essential.
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And so far this year, we have looked at creation,
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we have looked at the fall into sin, we've looked
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at God's providence, we have studied the Trinity,
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and we have looked at God's Word. Tonight, though,
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we look at the mediation of the God man. We look
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at Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And so having
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heard that bit of an intro, let's read. 1 Timothy
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2, 1 through 7. First of all, then, I urge that
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supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings
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be made for all people, for kings and all who
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are in high places. that we may lead a peaceful
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and quiet life, godly and dignified in every
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way. This is good. And it is pleasing in the
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sight of God, our Savior, who desires all people
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to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
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truth, for there is one God and there is one
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mediator between God and men, the man, Christ
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Jesus. who gave himself as a ransom for all,
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which is the testimony given at the proper time.
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For this, I was appointed a preacher and an apostle.
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I am telling the truth. I'm not lying. A teacher
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of the Gentiles in faith and truth. This is God's
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word. Let us pray. The Holy Spirit would grant
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us help in understanding. Lord, we do praise
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you and we thank you for your word. that is a
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lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We
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thank you for a word that is living and active
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and sharper than a two -edged sword, and we thank
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you for this word. But certainly, we need your
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help. We need to understand this. And so, Lord,
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would you open up our hearts and our minds to
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hear from you tonight? We pray in Christ's name.
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Amen. Do any of you Have you or do you currently
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engage in debates? Anybody in school, maybe you
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were in debate club, I'll put my hand down. I
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wasn't, nobody ever invited me to do such a thing,
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which is probably a good thing. But when you
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are in a debate, you have to give, you should
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give logical arguments, right? And sometimes
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logical arguments, they have a name to them.
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And this might be a big word and not a word that
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you use every day, but the word syllogism. If
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I say syllogism, do you understand what I'm talking
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about? Blank stares. All right. So within a syllogism,
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typically you have three parts. You can have
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more, but usually it's three. You have a claim,
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a premise, and a conclusion. Claim, premise,
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conclusion. where the claim is supported by the
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premise and leads to a conclusion. Here's a famous
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example of a syllogism. All men are mortal, that's
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your claim, all men are mortal. Premise, Socrates
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was a man. Conclusion, therefore Socrates was
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mortal. I don't know why Socrates is always used
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in this, because it could work for any man except
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for Jesus. But you see how that works. A syllogism
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expresses truth, usually. Sometimes it expresses
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opinion. Sometimes it expresses humor. Here's
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one I came up with. Old Presbyterian churches
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are the best. That's my claim. Old Presbyterian
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churches are the best. Fairview is the oldest
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Presbyterian church in Greenville County. That's
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your premise. The conclusion, Fairview is the
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best. Presbyterian Church in the county. And
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I believe that to be a true statement. But why
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am I telling you about syllogisms? You didn't
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sign up for an evening of logic and debate, did
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you? The reason I'm presenting this to you is
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because as we look at First Timothy chapter two,
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specifically verses four through six, we see
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something a little bit like if you squint a little
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bit. You see something like a syllogism that
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is here. I'm not saying it's Paul's intent. I'm
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not saying it's foolproof. But listen to it put
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this way, the claim, there is one God who desires
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all people to be saved. The premise, there is
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one mediator between God and men, Jesus. The
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conclusion, therefore, Christ gave himself as
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a ransom for all. What I want you to see tonight.
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is that Christ is your mediator, and he's the
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only one who could do it. So, let's look at the
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claim, the premise, and the conclusion of this.
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Claim. There is one God desiring salvation for
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all people. Now, for foreign Presbyterians, Calvinists,
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we see verse four, And we're not entirely sure
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what to do with this at times. We immediately
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have this question, what does the word all mean
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here in verse four? And I would love to entertain
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your thoughts on this. But there's something
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that it is not referring to. The word all cannot
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refer to all people throughout all of time. It
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cannot. And the reason for this is not just because
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we're not universalists, but because Paul speaks
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elsewhere, and the scriptures speak elsewhere,
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of what's called definite atonement, that God
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the Father gave to God the Son people to save,
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and that not everybody believes the gospel message.
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This is a hard truth, but it's a biblical one.
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For instance, If we were to go to Romans chapter
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10, verse 16, you would see what I'm talking
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about, that not everyone believes the gospel
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message. Just this one verse here, Romans 10,
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16. But they have not all obeyed the gospel,
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for Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what
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he has heard from us? And you can see surrounding
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that verse, there are other places that tell
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us those who are saved are those who call upon
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the Lord in faith. But the sad reality is that
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not everyone does. And so when Paul uses the
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word all here in verse four of First Timothy
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chapter two, he's not talking about universalism.
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So something else must be going on. For further
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evidence of this, we don't even really have to
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leave the book of First Timothy. Go back up into
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1st Timothy, just the end there of chapter one,
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and you see these two men named Hymenaeus and
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Alexander. And the text says here that Hymenaeus
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and Alexander have shipwrecked their faith. And
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it says that Paul says, I have handed them over
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to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
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So truly, people do reject the gospel. So once
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again, I don't think that that word all refers
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to all people throughout all of time. And so
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that may lead us to ask, is there something wrong
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with Jesus' atoning work? No, of course not.
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Hymenaeus and Alexander in the text, they're
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the ones at fault. There's nothing wrong with
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Paul or with Jesus' mediation. the problem is
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those who reject it. Friends, the problem is
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our sin. And so again, there's something else
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going on here. And I think it could be kind of
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a combination of what I'm about to say. The reason
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that I believe that Paul says, can say, that
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God desires all people to be saved and yet doesn't
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here indicate all people, is this is referring
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to God's desire to execute the decrees election
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and reprobate reprobation but even as God does
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that and desires to execute those decrees he
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does not take delight in the reprobation for
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evidence of this we can see Ezekiel chapter 33
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verse 11 that reads say to them as I live declares
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the Lord of God I have no pleasure in the death
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of the wicked but that the wicked turn from his
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way and live. Turn back, turn back from your
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evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?
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God does not take delight in that, but it is
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part of his sovereign decree. There's also could
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be something else going on within this verse
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and this word all. is that Paul is referring
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to all types of people, meaning that God doesn't
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just choose from one nation or another. For we
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remember what Paul has said, there is now neither
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Jew nor Gentile, right? And so what this is getting
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at is that the gospel message that salvation
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is to go out to all people, to all nations and
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tribes and tongues. And so the key here is to
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see that our God is one of mercy and love and
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grace. For no matter what we do with the all
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word, we do still see in the verse that it's
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God's desire to save, right? And friends, this
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ought to be our desire as well, shouldn't it?
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This is God's desire. It ought to be our desire
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as well for others to know the one true God.
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Christianity is one that is exclusive and that
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there is only one way to God and it's through
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Jesus Christ. He says so. I'm the way, the truth,
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and the life. No one comes to the Father but
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through me. So that's exclusive. But we don't
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know who the elect are, do we? And so we are
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to take the gospel everywhere. We saw that within
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our sermon series in First Thessalonians. about
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how Paul commends their faith, that their faith
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is going everywhere. Friends, that should be
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us. Taking our faith everywhere we go, whether
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it's to work, whether it's to the kids' soccer
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game, whether it's to the gym or to the library
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or to the bank, let us take our faith everywhere
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we go and share the gospel. because people need
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to know who the one true God is. And as Paul
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makes this claim here about the one true God,
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the oneness of God, we remember key texts that
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tell us that God is one. Deuteronomy chapter
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six. Rejoice, O Israel, the Lord our God, the
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Lord is one. Or perhaps you remember the one
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from Exodus 15, the song the Israelites sing.
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Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? The answer
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is quite obvious. No one is like our God. No
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one. There is only one God and he is a God of
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mercy and he is the God who gives the mediator.
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And so let's look at the premise, the mediator.
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I mentioned Exodus just a second ago. This is
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a good place for us to understand the mediator
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because Moses was the mediator between God and
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between Israel. Now, you might say, well, what
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is a mediator? Well, if you've ever helped people
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who were kind of at odds, you know what a mediator
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is because you've served in that role. A mediator
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is one who stands in the gap between persons
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or groups of people who need help in reconciliation,
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who need help in peace. Moses did this. Moses
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was Israel's representative to God. Moses interceded
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for the people. Moses received the law for the
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Israelites. But Moses is not the one true mediator,
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is he? He's not because Hebrews chapter three
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says that Jesus is far superior. Listen to this
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from Hebrews three, five, and six. Now Moses
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was faithful in all God's house as a servant.
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to testify to the things that were to be spoken
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later. But Christ is faithful over God's house
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as a son. Moses' work as we read it, what it
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really does for us is it points ahead to Jesus'
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work. Moses' ministry was not Jesus' ministry
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because the point of that verse there in Hebrews
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is that Christ is faithful as a son. Listen to
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this quote. from a commentator who says, Moses
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represented Israel before God, but he was not
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God. Jesus, on the other hand, is the mediator
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in whom God and man are perfectly united, for
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Jesus possesses both a divine nature and a true
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human nature. It is said often and it is true
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that Jesus is fully God, and fully man. Jesus
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has two natures. Church history tidbit for you.
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Take yourself back to 451, the Council of Chalcedon.
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If you're ever over in Istanbul, you need to
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cross over to the Asian side. You can take the
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ferry or you can get across the bridge, but you
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can stand in the location believed to be where
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Church fathers gathered for the Council of Chalcedon
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and what they were wrestling with at Chalcedon
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was the two natures of Jesus. How do we understand
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Jesus? How do we reconcile divinity and humanity?
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And so they produced the Chalcedonian definition
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listen to this therefore following the Holy Fathers
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we all with one accord teach men to acknowledge
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one and the same son Lord Jesus Christ, at once
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complete in Godhead and complete in manhood,
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truly God and truly man, consisting also of a
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reasonable soul and body. And with that divine
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nature, and with that human nature, Christ is
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the only one who could be the mediator between
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us fallen people and between holy God. Anselm
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of Canterbury said, salvation could not have
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been done unless man paid what was owing to God
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for sin, but the debt was too great, that while
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man alone owed it, only God could pay it. So
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that the same person must be both man and God.
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Not to give you too many quotes, but R .C. Sproul
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has a wonderful one here when he says, The fact
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is that only one man qualifies to be the mediator.
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No one but Christ has the necessary qualifications
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to effect reconciliation between God and man.
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Missing from all other religions is an atonement
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that satisfies the justice of God. They have
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only men. Christianity alone has a God man. To
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take it back then to logic, our syllogism for
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tonight, this is the premise that Jesus is the
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one mediator between God and man because he's
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the only one with both natures. Jesus, as you
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know, as you read the scriptures, you know that
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Jesus has that human nature. The scriptures tell
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us that Jesus grew in stature, that Jesus grew
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in knowledge. We know that Jesus was hungry at
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times. We know that Jesus got thirsty just like
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we do out in the heat. We know that Jesus experienced
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pain and the pain on the cross, the agony of
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that. We know that Jesus experienced sorrow.
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You remember how he wept over Lazarus, right?
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And so all of these examples and so many more
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show us that Jesus truly had a fully human Nature
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and that he then identifies with us in every
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single way Yet without sin listen to this from
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Hebrews 415 For we do not have a high priest
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who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses
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But one who in every respect has been tempted
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as we are yet without Friends, I hope that it
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is great comfort, encouragement to know that
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when you go through something terribly difficult,
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especially as you battle sin, that Jesus knows
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what you're going through, that Jesus can identify
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you have a high priest who knows what you're
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going through. And so you can lean on him and
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you can trust him and you can take that sin to
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him and plead God's forgiveness and know that
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Christ has come to make atonement for your sin.
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But not only is he got a human nature, he also
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is the divine son. Jesus has perfect communion
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with the Father and with the Spirit. What Jesus
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did, he did as sent by the Father and under the
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anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, as you know,
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is the word incarnate. Jesus is the one that
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we need. But typically when we think of mediation,
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maybe we think of being inside a room. There's
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a big board table there, there's people sitting
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around it, and there's a form that needs to be
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signed and drafted up. Friends, Jesus does a
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lot more than sign a piece of paper. Jesus gives
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his life. Jesus laid down his life for you. Let's
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look at the conclusion then, the ransom from
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chapter two, verse six. Jesus who gave himself
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as a ransom for all. Christ, as you know, laid
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down his life so that you would have eternal
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life with him. And he's the only way for mediation
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to come between God and sinful man because Jesus
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is holy man. Christ did this for us. thinking
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about that term ransom there, I'm reminded, and
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perhaps you are too, of a wonderful, somewhat
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contemporary hymn called How Deep the Fathers
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Love for Us. And if I was half a singer, I'd
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sing it for you. But the problem is, I've never
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gotten through that song without tearing up a
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little bit. I'm gonna read you a verse from this
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song. And hopefully the waterworks don't come.
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I will not boast in anything. No gifts, no power,
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no wisdom. But I will boast in Jesus Christ,
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his death and resurrection. Why should I gain
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from his reward? I cannot give an answer. But
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this I know with all my heart. His wounds have
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paid my ransom. Friends, do you know that tonight?
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Do you know that Jesus has paid your ransom?
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That he went to the cross to lay his life down
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for you? Do not leave this sanctuary without
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knowing this wonderful truth. But also let's
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think, what do we do with this now? We know that
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he has paid our ransom. What do we do with it?
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Well, there's a lot we could say here, but I'll
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keep it brief. Go back to the beginning of our
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text in chapter 2 there, 1st Timothy 2. Look
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at verses 1 and 2, and I'll read this again for
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us. You see that word all again in two different
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locations. What are we to do with this ransom?
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According to Paul here, we are to pray. And we
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are to pray for all people and for their salvation.
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Now you might say, well, how do I pray for all
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people? Well, again, what we said just a few
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minutes ago, this may be referring to types of
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people. And I think that that is evidenced by
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verse two. as Paul tells Timothy to pray for
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kings in those in high positions. Why? Why should
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we pray for those in high positions? Why pray
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for leaders? Why pray for kings or presidents,
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mayors and governors? Why? Because it's their
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leadership that ought to protect the rights of
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people to worship, ought to protect the rights
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of people to spread the gospel. ought to lead
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to people living quiet and peaceful lives with
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one another and so yes we should pray for all
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people and especially for those in positions
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of leadership but not only ours remember we are
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to take our faith we're to take the gospel to
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the ends of the earth and so we pray not just
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for our leaders but we must pray for leaders
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across the world especially those who lead in
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tyranny those who lead in ungodly ways. We ought
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to pray that the Lord would move in their hearts
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to loosen the grip and to allow people to hear
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the gospel and to know that Jesus is their mediator.
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That's who we should pray for. But secondly and
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finally, by way of application, know this church
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family. Jesus does not cease to be our mediator.
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We think, of course, and rightly, that Jesus,
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on the cross, he said it, it is finished, right?
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He atoned for our sins, but Jesus doesn't quit
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being our mediator. Because what is Jesus doing
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right now? Jesus is praying. The book of Hebrews
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says that Jesus lives to intercede. so friends
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please know that tonight Jesus continues he lives
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on to be your mediator. Thanks be to God. Let's
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pray.