We read from God's Word, 2 Corinthians chapter 5. The second letter that the Apostle Paul was inspired to write to Corinth, the fifth chapter. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God. and house not made with hands eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven. If so be that being clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan being burdened. not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore, we are always confident knowing that whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore, we labor that whether present or absent, we may be accepted of Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are made manifest unto God. and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences. For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance and not in heart. For whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God. or whether we be sober, it is for your cause. For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead, and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them and rose again. Wherefore, henceforth know we no man after the flesh. Yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we Him no more. If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. to wit that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ. As though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." This is the Word of God. And we call your attention especially to the latter part of that chapter, verses 18 through 21, to which we shall be referring in the course of the sermon. It's on the basis of that, and other scriptures as well, that we find the instruction of the catechism in Lord's Day 6. Lord's Day 6 begins with question 16. Why must he, that is the mediator, why must he be very man and also perfectly righteous? Because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned should likewise make satisfaction for sin. And one who is himself a sinner cannot satisfy for others. Why must he in one person be also very God? that he might, by the power of his Godhead, sustain in his human nature the burden of God's wrath, and might obtain for and restore to us righteousness and life. Who then is that Mediator who is in one person both very God and a real righteous man, our Lord Jesus Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Whence knowest thou this from the holy gospel? which God himself first revealed in paradise, and afterwards published by the patriarchs and prophets, and represented by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law, and lastly has fulfilled it by his only begotten Son. All things, the apostle wrote to the Corinthians and thus to the church of all ages, all things are of God. That ought to make you and me shout hallelujah this morning. God, think of it. reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ. He reconciled us, we who are prone by nature to hate God and the neighbor, we who were created good and in the image of and after the likeness of God, we who by nature hate God because of the fall into sin of our first parents who were tempted by Satan, we who therefore, as a result of that fall into sin, are so wicked and perverse that we are inclined to all wickedness and incapable of any good whatsoever. We who stand in the misery of that corruption before a perfectly just and holy God, a God whom we learned will have His justice satisfied. The God who in justice demands that we perform the works of the law, that which we are unable to do. The God who punishes all the workers of iniquity, both in time and eternally in His just judgment. We are reconciled to God. we who daily increase our debt, we who are unable to make satisfaction of the justice of God. God has reconciled us, hopelessly enslaved in sin and death. God has reconciled us, brought us into harmony with Himself. showered upon us His favor, given us the promise of everlasting life and glory. God has done all of this by the death of His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, whom He made to be sin for us, upon whom He placed all of the guilt of our sin with the purpose that in Him we should be made the righteousness of God, free from the guilt of sin, born again with the life from above, worthy of His favor and blessing. That's the message. of reconciliation. That's the gospel of salvation taught in Holy Scripture and summed for us in Lord's Day 6 of the Heidelberg Catechism. Into the hopelessness of our sin and misery, into the impossibility of our ever-saving ourselves. God comes in His merciful justice through Jesus, who is our wisdom, our righteousness, sanctification and redemption, and reconciled us to Himself. And I know that. You know that. We know that. and there's no doubt about it at all. We know that because our Lord Himself tells us in the Holy Gospel, revealed already in creation and in paradise, published by the patriarchs and the prophets, represented by the sacrifices and ceremonies of the law, which was our schoolmaster, our tutor to lead us to Christ. And lastly, has been fulfilled in the person and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now committed to us, the Apostle writes, the Church founded upon the apostles and the prophets with Jesus Christ as the chief cornerstone. That ministry of reconciliation is proclaimed to us in the words, Be ye reconciled to God. Rejoice in the Lord. It's all of Him. It cannot fail. Let him that glories, glory in the Lord. We call your attention to that blessed truth briefly this morning under the theme, The Lord Jesus, Our Mediator. Note with me what He must be, and second, who He is, and third, how He is revealed to us. Notice, the Heidelberg Catechism speaks of a must, and that's a reference to divine certainty, a divine must. Every human avenue is closed by the gospel. We have now seen that. in the first three Lord's Days as well as Lord's Days four and five. Ultimately, the answer to the question must be sought in God. Why must the Mediator be very man, first of all? And then, Why must He be very God? In other words, why must it be our Lord Jesus Christ? The answer is, all things are of God. All things must be of God simply because That is the good pleasure of God. God purposed to reveal His glory in the Lord Jesus Christ. God shows what the inspired apostle called in his first letter, the foolish, the base, and the weak things according to the world's judgment. And He did that by choosing the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church in the Lord Jesus Christ, called out of every nation, tribe, and tongue. All things must serve that wonderful, glorious purpose of God. Why? The answer is, and don't you ever, ever, ever forget it. Why? In order that no flesh may glory in His presence. In that light, we need to understand the question and the answer to the question, why must our Mediator be very man and very God. Then we can also understand why He must be that from our point of view as sinners. We can't make satisfaction for our sins. We can't take one step towards God. There's only one possibility For us to be saved, we need a Savior who is both God and man. We need God to provide that Mediator. God must reconcile us to Himself, else we remain doomed forever. yet perfectly righteous. People of God, there's power, tremendous power in that concept. I wish I could find words. I really do. We struggle when we stand before this blessed truth. Jesus is very man. Think of what is written in the letter to the Hebrews. Not ashamed was he to call us his brothers and sisters. He became flesh of our flesh, bone of our bone, a son of Adam in the real sense, the son of man, born of us with our mind, with our feelings, with our fears, with our sorrows, with our joys, our life in every respect. He had to face our temptation He had to be touched, as Scripture puts it in Hebrews 4. Touched, mind you, with the feelings of our infirmities, tempted in all points like as we. Think of that. Ponder that for a moment. Our infirmities It doesn't matter how you feel this morning. It doesn't matter whether you're happy or sad or somewhere between, whether you're rejoicing or whether you're in misery, whether you feel lonely or experience the fellowship and love of the saints. Jesus knows how you feel. He knows that. from His own experience. You were tempted in the week now past. Daily, you had to fight against temptations as they came to you out of the sinful world from Satan as they appealed to your fallen sinful flesh. Jesus knows He knows what you've been through. He experienced it. Tempted in all points like as we talk about the mystery of the Gospel. I can't explain that. No preacher can. No preacher ever did or ever will. We won't know. And even then, we're not going to comprehend it all in glory. At the same time, Jesus is perfectly righteous. He cannot be partaker of our guilt, the guilt we incurred through Adam. He cannot be conceived and born in sin. He cannot be shapen in iniquity like as we, nor can He share in the same corruption that clings to us. He's perfectly righteous, and the reason is man's sin. God in His justice requires that the same human nature, that sin should make satisfaction for sin. The day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. And that sentence must be executed upon man. And so our Mediator had to be very man in order to bear the punishment of our death under the wrath of God. And he must be at the same time perfectly righteous. Because one who is himself a sinner cannot satisfy for others. In fact, he can't satisfy for himself. Certainly not for others. To satisfy the justice of God means bearing God's wrath in love and in perfect obedience and consecration to the Lord God. And the sinner can't do that. We can't do that. Only Christ, who is holy, dedicated to God in all of His life and in death as well, only He can bring that satisfaction. He must be very man, yes, but also very God because no man can sustain the wrath of God. So, in one person, Jesus assumes the human nature, your human nature and mine, except for sin. And He remains very God. He is God of God, the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, one with the Father and the Spirit. And He must at the same time be able to lay down His life for us and take it again by His divine power in the resurrection. What that means very simply is this, people of God, in order for us to be saved, God has to do it. It's just that simple and profound and wonderful. Our mediator is not some third party standing between us on the one hand, God on the other, and somehow bringing each halfway so that we're together. Oh, no. God Himself must make the satisfaction. The mediator must be of God. He cannot be of us. Merely. And that is what Jesus is. Very man by the wonder of grace. And in the same person, God of God. God Himself in the person of our Lord Jesus comes down to us. as the God of our salvation. That's the Scriptures. That's what we read out of 2 Corinthians 5. These powerful words. All things, not some, many or most, all things are of God, out of God who has reconciled us unto Himself, not imputing the trespasses of the world of His elect unto them. Of Him are ye in God, in Christ Jesus. You are made righteousness and sanctification and wisdom and redemption. God took us to Himself. Light can have no fellowship with darkness. The barrier of sin had to be taken out of the way. And only Christ could do that. That's the mediator. That's the gospel. And that, people of God, is your only comfort in life and in death. How beautifully the Catechism, literally quoting Scripture, lays the Mediator before us. Jesus Christ our Lord. Yes, Jesus. So named by God as revealed to Joseph because He is Jehovah salvation who shall save His people from their sins. Christ He is, the Anointed of God, God's Servant, God's Prophet, Priest and King. And as Jesus Christ, He is Lord of lords and King of kings. the mighty conqueror of sin and death. And let it not escape you. He is our Lord. Not just Lord. Not even merely the Lord. He is our Lord. The Jesus who saved us from our sin. The Christ who, as God's prophet, reveals to us the salvation of our God. He is our priest who brought the sacrifice of His own life and body. And He is our King who rules us by His Spirit and Word. He purchased us. He made us His own. He's our Lord who rules all things for our sakes. Think of that. If it weren't for that, life would be futile, wouldn't it? Think of that. I know as well as you that God has ordained the civil government. We know that. And part of our calling is, according to 1 Peter, and it always strikes me when the Apostle speaks of the great truth of double predestination, and he begins the practical section of that first epistle, one of the very first exhortations is, fear God, honor the King. Honor the King. We know that. And yet, people of God, it doesn't matter what the news may bring today. It doesn't matter that there was a 9-11 in the recent history of our country. It doesn't matter that there's an Al-Qaeda and a Taliban and the threat of terror all over the world. It doesn't matter. The Gospel is this, Jesus Christ is on the throne. Jesus Christ is ruling whether that be in that terrible militaristic regime of Myanmar, where the church is persecuted on account of the faith, or whether it be in the good old U.S. of A. Jesus is on the throne. Not one thing happens that is not for your sakes and for the sake of the precious blood-bought church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing. Nothing can separate you from God's love. All things are for you in all these things. shouted aloud with the inspired apostle as he does in Romans 8. In all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us. Why? Because as we hope to see in greater detail, God willing, in the next several Sundays, we receive by faith the Lord Jesus Christ and all the benefits of salvation that He merited for us by His perfect obedience and death on the cross as sealed in His resurrection from the dead. We're members of His body. He's our Lord. He's our Savior. He is God's King. Isn't that wonderful? Our little ones know that too, don't they? If the 5 and 6 year olds are in the New Testament Bible stories this year, then they have answered the question already. Who is your Savior? And I can hear them. If it wasn't this year, it was last year. Jesus. the Son of God. Out of the mouths of babes, God has ordained praise to destroy the enemy. They may not know all the doctrines of Christology, the doctrine of Christ. They may not know all the meaning and the wonderful significance there is to all those great truths that make up the doctrine of Christ. But five-year-olds, little babes in mother's arms, know who their Savior is. And they love Him. And they grow up into Him. Oh yes, we grow in the knowledge and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. Notice how He's identified. The Catechism is quoting 1 Corinthians 1 verse 30. Various terms are used there to describe Jesus. The last being redemption, not because it occurs last, in the series, or is the least important of those four, but because it has the emphasis, Jesus Christ is our redemption. Redemption means to buy back a slave, to purchase the release of a slave. Legally, we are bound in the prison of sin. By nature, Sin has lordship over us. We're freed from that slavery by Jesus who paid the price for that redemption. He shed His own blood at Calvary. He bought us free when He said in the darkness of the cross, My God, My God, Why hast Thou forsaken me? As our Communion form puts it so beautifully, that we might never be forsaken of Him. He is our redemption. And therefore, He is our wisdom, our righteousness, and our sanctification. That's what Jesus is. That's what Jesus did. That's what Jesus does for us. He always is our redemption. Born of the Virgin, the little babe in the manger, the twelve-year-old disputing with the doctors of the law in the temple, The Jesus who for three and a half years walked up and down Palestine speaking gracious words, the words of the Kingdom of Heaven, who performed mighty signs and wonders, healing the sick, raising the dead, who lay down His life on the cross, arose and descended, returned in the Spirit, and who is coming again. Yes! He merited all the blessings of salvation for us, and He bestows them all upon us. He is our wisdom. What a wonderful Savior! He's the light in our darkness. He's the way, the truth, and the life. He leads us in obedience to the will of God, revealing to us the God of our salvation. He shows us the way day by day, moment by moment. out of the misery of our death and sin. He is our righteousness and sanctification, forgiveness, no more guilt, worthy of everlasting life and glory. And the beginning of that holy life is implanted in us so that we fight against our sins and sinful natures and hate our sin. and strive to live in obedience to His law. He's all of that because, as we've already said, He's our redemption. And don't you see, people of God, that's the end of our despair? I don't minimize that. Oh, no. You are anxious, worried, troubled. I'm not ashamed to tell you there was a time in my life when all, maybe you've heard me say it before, I don't care. I'll say it again then. All I could do was say, God help me. God help me. My wife remembers that. God did, too, or I wouldn't be standing here this morning. It's not me. It's not my strength. Oh, no. Not at all. Hard lesson to learn? Yes, it was. Lot of tears? Oh, oceans of tears. Oh, yes. But we triumph. You are in despair. Everything is dark and black. You don't understand the Lord's way with you. You struggle against temptations. And you have besetting sins that trouble you day after day. And perhaps your sins are more than you can count. O people of God, Jesus knows We triumph in Him. And we have a joy that earth cannot afford. And it all comes down to the blessed truth that the Catechism so marvelously calls to our attention and virtually in every single Lord's Day holds before us our only comfort in life and in death. We're not our own. We're not our own. We belong to Jesus. And why? Because God saved us and made Jesus to be our righteousness, our wisdom, our sanctification, our redemption. Praise His name. How do I know that? From the Holy Gospel. From the Holy Gospel, the Good News, of salvation in Jesus Christ. The good news revealed already in paradise. The good news of the very first verse in the Bible. And be careful, be very, very careful how you handle the opening chapters of Genesis. Because they're all about one thing. Not creation. Oh, redemption. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. How did He do that? Go to the Bible. It will tell you how He did that. God said, let there be and there was. And in six days, The heavens, the earth, and all that is in them were created. And the seventh day, the Sabbath rest into which Jesus took us via His cross and in the power of His resurrection, the Lord's day, God rested. We may do with Genesis as we please, nor may we do with the Sabbath, which is the Sabbath of the Lord our God, as we please. It's His day and we rest from our labors and our activities and we worship because In paradise already, God is revealed as the God of our salvation. And when our first parents fell into sin and tried to cover their nakedness with fig leaves, God gave them coats of skin. He shed the blood. And then He gave His Word through them and through the patriarchs all through the ages. and the prophets. The Lamb of God was revealed. The law was given. And God said, when He instituted the Passover, year after year after year, God kept saying, when I see the blood, I will pass over you. And when He saw the blood of Calvary, it was all accomplished. And He passed over us, giving us forgiveness and everlasting life, fulfilled all in Jesus, who came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but who fulfilled them, and who is with us now by His Spirit. My sheep, we heard as we were called to worship, didn't we? My sheep, hear my voice. I know them. They follow Me. It's what happens twice. Every Lord's Day and every time God calls us to worship and His Word is expounded. We hear the voice of Jesus. He's still preaching and He will preach till we see Him on the clouds of glory. That's the miracle. of preaching. Let the world call it foolishness. Let us never. You get rid of the pulpit and you substitute for it all the nonsense that's going on in worship today. Is it any wonder that the churches are empty? In many cases, empty of people, but certainly empty and voiceless. They don't hear Jesus. anymore. You don't mess with God's means without paying a terrible, terrible price. Be ye reconciled to God. That's the command of the Gospel. Enter into the joy of the wonder of reconciliation. Do that in the way of fighting against your sins and your sinful natures. Pray. Pray without ceasing. And strive after the glory of God. Set your heart on the things above. And be assured, our Mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ, is of God and who shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Nothing and no one. More than conquerors? Oh, yes. The last word, let him that glories glory in the Lord. Indeed. Amen.