If you'd like to follow along,
I'm gonna be in 1 Timothy chapter two. 1 Timothy chapter two. And I'm gonna read like the first
seven verses. I exhort, therefore, that first
of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of
thanks be made for all men. For kings and for all that are
in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in
all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable
in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one
God and one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ
Jesus. who gave himself a ransom for
all to be testified in due time, whereunto I am ordained a preacher
and an apostle. I speak the truth in Christ and
lie not, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. Now, I know very well that a
lot of people will get wrapped up in verse four and verse six
of this. Well, quit it. Just quit it,
whoever you are. I understand this is Paul writing
instructions and a letter to Timothy. And writing, he is not,
excuse me, he is not writing of all men and all women in the
whole world in verse four. Okay? He has told us explicitly
to pray for all men, but he does specifically state for kings
and those in authority. What's he saying here? He's saying
all kinds of men. Matter of fact, Paul, as Saul
of Tarsus, used to be one of those in authority. Now I don't
know who was praying for him or who wasn't, But here's the
thing, on the road to Damascus, Jesus Christ met him. Revealed
himself to him and saved and changed his name. Paul is telling
us to pray for all kinds of men, rich, poor, powerful, weak, old,
young, male, female, Jew, and Gentile. And like I said, he
used to be one of those in authority. Then verse six, of course, speaks
of Christ who gave himself a ransom for all. which is true, it's
certainly true. But who is that all? Well, I
also happen to remember John six and verse 37. All that the
Father giveth me shall come to me, shall come to me. And not
only that, and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast
out. Those are the ones for whom he
ransomed himself, himself. But that's all I'm gonna, I'm
not gonna spend a lot of time on that, but I did wanna address
it because I know some people, they'll focus on those two things
and leave out the good stuff. Because what I wanna talk about
today, Paul, my title is One Mediator, One Mediator. You understand, he's the important
part. He's the message. But it starts
here in verse five, for there is one God, one God. What does it say in Deuteronomy
six and verse four? It says, hear, O Israel, the
Lord our God is one Lord. As a matter of fact, Jesus Christ
himself told some that this is the first of all the commandments. Here, oh, here, oh Israel, the
Lord our God is one Lord. Oh, and you know who said that?
The one Lord. Isn't that something? He said
it himself. Because John wrote in first John,
chapter five and verse seven, for there are three that bear
record in heaven. The Father, the Word, which is
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, These three are one. There's only one Lord. There's
only one God. There's one God. There's one
God. And this one God is the holy
and just God. The righteous God. The one God who will punish every
single sin, every transgression, and every offense. It also says
he's the one God who will not clear the guilty. Oh my, the
one who sees every thought and intent of the heart. You understand, if you don't
know Christ, and maybe even when you do, you don't want God looking
at you. You don't want God looking at
you. I don't want God looking at me and seeing me for what
I really am, of myself. But I know he sees all. What
does it say? Out of the hearts of men come
every manner of evil. And Christ listed them all, starting
with what? Evil thoughts, evil thoughts. That's where everything starts.
That's where everything starts. And I've heard it, I've known
people who've told me to my face, well, God knows my heart. Well, yes he does. And it ought
to scare the dickens out of him. You understand? He not only knows
the thoughts, but he knows your intent. And I'm gonna tell you
something, I know the intents of some people, it comes out
of them. and it's not pleasant, and it's not good, and I'm guilty
of that myself. What? Preachers say mean things? Oh yeah, yeah. We're men just
like anybody else, and we get vexed just like anybody else,
and I get mad at people, and my lips run, and my tongue runs,
and it's an unruly member. This is the God who knows all
of that, the one God. There is one God. But praise
God he didn't stop there, he said and. There's one God, yes. A God who sees all, knows all,
and knows the thoughts and intents of your heart. He knows what
you've even been thinking of doing and not done, which Christ
said was a sin. Oh yeah, to look after a woman
in lust is to have committed adultery in your heart. That's
what the law said. Christ didn't change the law,
he just explained it. He preached on it in this way. But here it is, there's a mediator. One mediator between God and
men. Oh my. Why do we need a mediator? Well didn't you hear what I just
told you? This is God who sees the thoughts
and intents of your heart. This is a God who will not clear
the guilty. This is the God who is holy,
right, good, and we are none of the above. We need a mediator. All right? Because the other
thing this God said was, what? And he said, thou canst not see
my face, for there shall no man see me and live, that's Exodus
33 and 20. Luke 16 verse 15, and he said
unto them, ye are they which justify yourselves before men,
but God knoweth your hearts. For that which is highly esteemed
among men, it's not bad, no, yeah, it's not bad. It's not
horrible, no, it's just that is an abomination in the sight
of God. Understand, sin is an abomination
in the sight of God. And we're full of it, we're full
of it. Proverbs 6, 16. These six things
doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him.
What are they? A proud look, a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked
imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false
witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among
the brethren. Oh my. He will by no means clear the
guilty, this one God. We need a mediator. We need a mediator. What's it say? The soul that
sins shall die. The soul that sins, it shall
die. No man has seen God at any time. But the only begotten of
the Father, he hath declared him our mediator. One mediator. He that has seen
the Son has seen the Father. One mediator between God and
men. We must have a mediator between
us and God. Why? In order to live. To live. Because God is of purer
eyes than ever to behold sin, and we are nothing in and of
ourselves except sin. That's what we are. What is it? There's no soundness in man.
We are wounds and bruises and not even sores, we're putrefying
sores. Rotten, infected sores. And all
our righteousness is, are filthy rags. What? In God's sight. In God's sight. They may look
pretty good to us, they may look wonderful to your neighbors,
but in God's sight they're filthy rags. We need a mediator. And nevertheless, I like that
word, nevertheless, we have a mediator between God and man. What is
that word? It is a go-between. We have a go-between, that's
the word. The one mediator goes between
God and man. And that's what I need, that's
what I need. That's who I need, because he
can stand, the Lord Jesus Christ, the man Christ Jesus can stand
before a holy God in holiness himself, himself. And he can stand before men,
and he did, and not be defiled. Oh, I like that, I like that.
because he is our one mediator between God and men. He can bring
us both together in himself. Not in you, not in me, in himself,
in himself. Oh, I like that. He brings the
two together in himself because God loves him, and praise God,
Christ loves us. Isn't that a wonderful thing?
And in him, God, the one God, the one who will never clear
the guilty, oh, he loves us. In his son, in his son. Oh, that's good stuff. Oh, glory
to God in the highest. God accepts man in his son. Only in his son, but in his son
he accepts us wholly. And who is his son, who is our
mediator? Says it, the man Christ Jesus. The one mediator is the man Christ,
not the God. Although he is. He is, he is,
he's both. The word who was with God and
the word who was God, what? Became flesh. But not only became
flesh, He dwelt among us. Tabernacled, as Earl used to
say, that's the word. Tabernacled, lived in tents with
us. Oh, that's good stuff. He tabernacled,
lived among men, loving his own and saving the lost. While he
was here, he preached the gospel to the poor. And he came and
called sinners to repentance. He called himself the one mediator,
God-man. Was it Adam Kedmon Earl used
to say? The God-man, Jesus Christ. The man Christ Jesus called himself
the good shepherd of the sheep. Ah, the good shepherd of the
sheep. Because here's the thing, he
was kind and gentle to his sheep. He was kind and gentle. He received
his sheep. But I'm gonna tell you something. He struck fear in those that
opposed God. This man, Christ Jesus, our mediator,
the mediator, the one mediator between God and men. You understand,
they hated him without a cause. Without a cause. They tried to
kill him. And here's the thing, they tried
to kill him as he was perfectly keeping the Father's law, as
he was keeping that holy commandment. He was keeping it and they tried
to kill him more than once. More than once. He was and is
fully God and fully man. And this is the man that mediates
between God and men. This man, Christ Jesus, is seated
at the right hand of the majesty on high. This man, Christ Jesus,
ever lives to make intercession for us, for his people. Oh, I like that, I do. The Lord of hosts is his name.
What? the Holy One of Israel. And one more title, the Redeemer. The Redeemer, you understand?
Because not only do we have this one Mediator, let's be perfectly clear about
it. He has the very right to be that Mediator. No one else does. No one else
could anyway, no one else can. But he not only can, he has the
very right to do it. Why? Because not only is he the
Lord of hosts, not only is he the Holy One of Israel, he's
what? He's the Redeemer, the Redeemer. And that's what Paul
tells us in the next verse. Our mediator is the very son
of God, only begotten and well beloved, and this one mediator
is the one who gave himself. What? A ransom. And it says for
all. And I'm telling you this, it's
for all his people. To be testified in due time.
I like that part too. But he gave, himself a ransom. You'll find this verse in Job,
now this was spoken by Elihu, who was not rebuked of God. It's
in Job 33 and verse 24, he says, then he is gracious unto him
and saith, what? Deliver him from going down to
the pit. I have found a ransom. Oh, you understand? And it wasn't
Job that found the ransom, it wasn't Elihu that found the ransom,
it was God that found the ransom. Oh, I like that. Who gave himself
a ransom for all. Oh, you know? I didn't find the
ransom, he did. I didn't even know I needed a
ransom, Walter. He did, he did. Oh my, I like
that. What ransom was found? Wrong
question. Who's the ransom? Who's the ransom? Who gave himself a ransom? He gave himself a ransom for
all, just as I said before, all that the father gave to him.
That's who he ransomed. I'll read it again. All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me, and him that cometh to
me I will in no wise cast out. You know why? Because he paid
the ransom. He paid the ransom. And he paid
the ransom with himself. With himself. Oh, I like that. He himself ransomed us. And that gives him the right
to be the mediator between God and man. And I'm gonna say this, legally,
legally. You understand what I'm saying
here? Our ransom is our Redeemer. Our Redeemer is our ransom. He
gave himself. All that the Father, what, gives
to him, gave to him. What's that mean? We belong to
him. We belong to him. And that's
what the word ransom means. Purchase, redeemer, purchase. You understand? Jesus Christ
owns his people. Now we don't like to talk about
ownership and people together because it has bad connotations.
But I don't mind it when Jesus Christ is my owner. He owns me. and he owns you and he owns everyone.
He paid the price. He bought you with his precious
blood. He gave himself a ransom and
he owns his people. I was asked a question at work,
it's kind of what made me start pondering on this a little bit,
because a fella asked me what was the difference between owning
something and possessing it? This is one guy I work with,
I'm not gonna go into. I didn't ask him why, because
frankly I was afraid I might get an answer. But here's the
thing, that's what I told him, okay? I told him it was possible
to possess something you don't own. Now for whatever reason,
you may have just found it, who knows? But it is possible to
possess something you don't own, but ownership. Oh my, think about
it. Owning it means it belongs to
you whether you possess it or not. Now think about that for
a minute, because that got me when I was explaining it to him,
it hit me. Because ownership, owning, is
a legal term. Is a legal term. Now, what does
that mean for the elect of God? Well I'm gonna tell you this.
2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ bought his people. He paid the
ransom with himself. He purchased us with his own
precious blood, and he owns us whether we know it or not. Now, isn't that something glorious?
Oh, I like that, because you understand, he said it, the good
shepherd layeth down his life for the sheep. What's that mean? Well, there's two kinds of sheep.
There's lost sheep and there's found sheep. Well, guess what? He owns them all. He owns them
all. And he is in the process of finding
every single one of his lost sheep. And he's bringing them
in and bringing them into his flock. Oh, I like that, I do. Because here's the thing, even
if you are a lost sheep, He's gonna find you. He's gonna find
you. Oh, I like that. And it says
this, what? To be testified in due time. Now, this is the testimony. He gave himself a ransom for
all. This is the testimony. The testimony's
not about you, the testimony's about him. You understand? He gave himself a ransom for
his own to those that the father gave to him, and he ever lives
to make intercession for them. Because he is not only he is
the perfect mediator, he is the perfect intercessor. And God
has accepted us in him, in him. Oh, I like that. We testify of
him in due time. What is it? Now's the time and
here's the place. Preach Christ. He's the message. He's the message. We say that
and we try to mean it. We mean it. Sometimes we try
to do it. Sometimes it works out better
than others, but here's the thing. He is the one mediator between
God and man. He has the power, he has the
authority, he has the very right to do it because why? He owns
us, he bought us with his own precious blood. And he is not
going to lose a single one of his possession. I mean, people
will say what you want, they can believe what they will. This
book doesn't teach that. This book teaches he's gonna
gather everything and everyone together in himself and present
us to God. What? One mediator between God
and man. He's the one. He's the one mediator. Paul wrote this, where unto I
am ordained a preacher and apostle. Well, he say, I speak the truth
in Christ and lie not. That's a wonderful statement.
A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. in truth and
verity. Paul boldly states, I am a preacher. He said that first, and an apostle. Oh, I like that. Paul said, I'm
looking for lost sheep. I'm preaching, hoping God will
give them life, and give them faith, and give them ears to
hear, and they receive what? The truth. The truth. I speak the truth in Christ and
lie not. A teacher of the Gentiles in
faith and truth. That's what verity means. In
truth. A teacher of the Gentiles. Christ
has redeemed his people, ransomed his people, gave himself as a
ransom for his people, and he is bringing in many sons unto
glory. Glory. Why? In faith and in truth. We have a mediator between God
and man. And what a great and precious
mediator he is. And we have, we have. That song I sent you, Walter,
John Newton wrote this. And this is one of the reasons
why I found it. What a glorious plan. How suited
to our need. The grace that raises fallen
man is wonderful indeed. Twas formed the vast design,
what? To ransom us when lost. He provided himself a ransom. Oh, I like that. And love's unfathomable
mine provided all the cost. You understand, salvation is
free to us, but it costs Christ himself. He gave himself a ransom. He died the death, we could not
die. He was forsaken by the Father in order that we would never
be forsaken. I will never leave thee, I will
never. And when Christ said never, he
meant never. I will never forsake thee. He
was forsaken as part of his ransom, his ransom of himself, who gave
himself a ransom for all. And I'm gonna tell you something,
not a drop of his ransom is wasted. Not a drop is shed in vain. He will accomplish that he set
out to accomplish. He'll do it. Even if you forget,
what does it say? He cannot deny himself. You understand? I love that.
I need a mediator. Because if it was up to me, I'd
fall out of whatever I fell into. But bless God, it's not up to
me. I have a mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for
all. Oh, and testify of him, testify
of him, because he is our salvation. He is our, not only our ransom,
he's our salvation. He's our life, and in him we
live and move and have our being. Oh, I like that. He's gonna bring
in every single sheep that he owns, and that's a guarantee
from him, not from me. It's from him. He is the good
shepherd. Our Heavenly Father, we're thankful
again for this time and this place. Thank you, Lord, most
of all, for your Son, our dear Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of
glory, the King of glory, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
and he ever lives to make intercession for us. And we know his intercession
is just as perfect as he is. Thank you, Lord. Be with those
who have many health issues we have. Those who couldn't be here,
bless them, Lord. Bless us too. as we'll go forth,
be with Walter and Paul as they come to preach your gospel, and
we'll give you all the praise and the honor and the glory now
and forever. In Christ's name, amen.