The Word of Truth is sponsored in part by Paul Rents. Visit paulrents.com for party and equipment rentals. Welcome to the Word of Truth, a ministry of Pastor Lars Larson and the First Baptist Church of Leominster, Massachusetts. It is our desire that our Lord use this broadcast to instruct, encourage, and strengthen both Christians and local churches in the New England region. Pastor Lars is always available to assist you. You may reach him at 978-660-7000. May today's message from our pastor be blessed by our Lord to instruct and encourage you through the Holy Scriptures, the Word of Truth. Greetings and thank you for tuning in today. In the last three programs we have set forth what the Bible teaches regarding this subject, God's purpose to bring salvation by means of covenant. This is an important foundational idea regarding what the Bible reveals to us about God's work of bringing salvation to His people. Now the next subject that flows logically and reasonably in our study of the Christian faith, the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints, is this topic, Jesus Christ, the Mediator of Salvation. We will begin to address this matter today, and I expect we will be here for a while. Now let us first pray and ask for our God's help for us, and I'm going to do something I've not done thus far in this program. I'm going to read a written prayer that is very suitable to this occasion. It is from the devotional entitled, The Valley of Vision, edited by Arthur Bennett, and it's published by Banner of Truth Trust. It is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions. It is an excellent devotional that I would commend to you. And there is an entry that is suitable for us today. It is entitled, The Mediator. And this prayer, again, is suitable for Christians only, not for unbelievers. If you are not a Christian, this expresses what you can know and have through faith in Jesus Christ. But these describe the blessings of the Christian. Let us pray. Everlasting Creator Father, we have destroyed ourselves, our nature is defiled, and the powers of our souls are degraded. We are vile, miserable, strengthless, but our hope is in Thee. If ever we are saved it will be by goodness undeserved and astonishing, not by mercy alone but by abundant mercy, and not by grace but exceeding riches of grace. And such Thou hast revealed, promised, and exemplified in thoughts of peace, not evil. Thou hast devised means to rescue us from sin's perdition, to restore us to happiness, honor, safety. We bless Thee for the everlasting covenant, for the appointment of a Mediator. We rejoice that He failed not, nor was discouraged. but accomplish the work Thou gavest Him to do, and said on the cross, It is finished. We exult in the thought that Thy justice is satisfied, Thy truth established, Thy law magnified, and a foundation is laid for our hope. We look to a present and personal interest in Christ and say, Surely He has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows, won our peace, healed our souls. Justified by His blood, we are saved by His life. Gloring in His cross, we bow to His scepter. And having His Spirit, we possess His mind. Lord, may You grant that our religion may not be occasional or partial, but universal, influential, effective. And may we always continue in Thy words as well as Thy works, so that we reach our end in peace. Amen. Now, how and where do we begin to address such a great subject as Jesus Christ, the Mediator of Salvation? Well, perhaps we can do so by addressing the teaching and implications of one of the clearest statements of this truth in all of Scripture. And this is where Paul made this declaration to Timothy that Jesus Christ is the only Mediator that God has made available to man. I want to read the paragraph in context. This is 1st Timothy 2, verses 1-7. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to 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, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth." And again that's 1 Timothy 2, 1-7. Now this is one single paragraph in Paul's larger epistle to Timothy. The apostle was instructing his son in the faith on how to be a good minister, a good pastor of Jesus Christ, serving in the church which the Lord Jesus had purchased with his own blood. Paul encouraged Timothy to have a broad and extensive view of God's purpose in salvation. God intended to save a people from all stations in life, all walks of life, and God intended to save some even from among kings and others in authority. God desires all kinds of people to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. But God has intended to save them all through only one means, and that was through the only Mediator that God has appointed, that being the man Christ Jesus. Now even though our major subject is Christ the mediator of salvation, the statement of this truth is embedded in this paragraph that addresses other matters also, particularly prayer. And so I think that it would serve us well to address the entire context fully in order to see our subject more clearly. Now, this paragraph contains three sentences, and from these three sentences we may derive an outline. First, we are exhorted to pray for all men, verses 1 and 2. Secondly, we are told why are we to pray for all men, verses 3 and 4. And then third, we are informed about the design and desire of God to bring salvation through the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that's verses 5 through 7. Now let's take each of these in turn. First of all, we are exhorted to pray for all men. Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. Here Paul sets forth prayer as the first priority in the work of Christ. In chapter 1 of 1 Timothy, Paul had set before Timothy the responsibility to wage the good warfare in the church at Ephesus, correcting the church of its error, withstanding and deposing false teachers from the church so that they would not lead the church into further error. And now here in the first verse of chapter 2 of 1 Timothy, Paul declares that prayer is the principal means through which the good warfare is to be waged. Therefore, I exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. God has ordained that His work will be advanced through the prayers of His people for others. In the Ephesians passage, in which spiritual warfare is described, the soldier of Christ is commanded to put on the whole armor of God, and in that passage are these words, The soldier of Jesus Christ is to be praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints." That's Ephesians 6.18. Our sovereign God has ordained the means of prayer to advance the cause of Christ in the world. This means that God as appointed reveals the wisdom of God in his dealings among us. We are all too independent and self-sufficient in our estimation of ourselves. We tend to rely on our wits, our training, our own ability. or even the gifts that God has given us to address and defeat that which stands in our way. The necessity of prayer serves both to keep us humble and trusting, but it also leads us to give glory to God alone for all that he has done through us. Our Lord told his disciples, Without me you can do nothing. And prayer to God for the furtherance of his gospel is our acknowledgment and confession that God alone can bring advancement to his cause. Now prayer is one of the two principal duties of the minister of Jesus Christ. He is to preach the word, that is before the body and before individuals, and he is to pray to God. The original reason that deacons were selected and began to serve in the church at Jerusalem was so that the apostles could give themselves over to the ministry of the Word and to prayer. We read in Acts 6, Now in those days when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a murmuring against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. And then the Twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business, but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to ministry of the Word. Acts 6, 1-4. That's the chief duty of ministers. Nevertheless, it's the responsibility of all Christians to be praying continuously for themselves and for others, for those who are saved and for those who are still in their sins. We see also from Paul's words to Timothy that all aspects of life are to be the subject of prayer. Paul wrote, Therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. Now, it may not be profitable to press the distinction of these terms from one another, although it may be done so if done with caution. Paul was probably seeking to express that every kind of issue and concern that impacts people should be made the subject of our prayer. If pressed, we could say that supplications refer to the entreaties to God for the needs of others. When people are in need, we are to pray to God that God will supply. The word prayers perhaps speaks to expressions of worship and adoration to God Himself. Intercessions would be to pray for people themselves, not for their needs, but for their souls. This may speak of our praying on behalf of people before God. asking God that He will have mercy and deal graciously with them. And then lastly we see the giving of thanks is an important aspect of prayer. We are to pray to God with a spirit of gratitude that He hears us and graciously grants our petitions. We see also prayer is to be offered for all kinds of men, even or especially for those in authority, is what Paul is saying. We read that we are to pray for all men, Now when we read this we may conclude without much thought that we are to pray for everybody that is in the world or even those who are not yet come into the world. But actually Paul qualifies what he means in this context by all men. He is essentially saying that we should pray for all kinds of men, all kinds of people, including those who are in authority. We are not to limit our prayers only for those that are closest to us, but for all kinds of people that we encounter. We are especially to pray for those in authority over us. And here Paul mentions political and civil authorities especially. Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and all who are in authority. And so the purpose for praying for those in authority is so that Christians may lead a quiet and peaceable life. Political authorities themselves can make our lives very difficult, and therefore we should pray for them, so that we as Christians may live before the Lord with little difficulty or opposition. If the government fulfills its duty before God, a civil and orderly society results. If those in government become self-serving and do not respect their duty, not only does the society decay over which they are to govern in righteousness, But also the government authorities themselves become instruments of oppression and conveyors of misery. Of civil authorities, John Calvin once wrote, magistrates are armed with the sword in order to keep us in peace. If they did not restrain the hardyhood of wicked men, every place would be full of robberies and murders. The true way of maintaining peace, therefore, is when everyone obtains what is his own, and the violence of the more powerful is kept under restraint. Two words Paul gives to describe life under good government, quiet and peaceable. Paul did not say that we should pray for our government leaders so that we may, as one put it, grow rich and be in honor and power under them. No. The summit of the ambition of a good Christian is to lead a quiet and peaceable life to get to the world unmolested in a low private station. Those were the words of Matthew Henry, and I believe he was right. Now, first of all, Christians should desire and pray that they may live lives characterized as quiet. This speaks of a life that is not troubled by outside disturbances. An uncivil and lawless society is the cause of much difficulty for godly people seeking to live righteously before the Lord. What a lawless and licentious society relishes disturbs the godly. Coarse language, rudeness, aggressive and challenging behavior makes life more difficult. And civil authorities have been ordained of God that society functions in a civil, lawful manner. And we are to pray for those in authority that they would recognize their responsibility and fulfill their duty before God to their citizens by their punishment of evil and their promotion of good. I might make this point here. Although we're living in an increasingly lawless and coarse society, we may be very thankful that our law enforcement officers and military continue to exhibit the highest standards of integrity and professionalism. Oh, yes, it would seem there's a great breakdown in our court system, and there are instances of corruption in law enforcement. But by and large, the law enforcement officers of our nation are very committed and professional to their duty. I've been in other nations, and I've lived in other places, and from what I've seen, And what I read of law enforcement officers in other countries, ours stands out as far superior. We are very blessed to live in a society in which we have officers committed to enforcing the law with integrity. Now secondly, Christians should desire and pray that they may live lives characterized as peaceable. Now whereas the word quiet alludes to an absence of outside disturbances, peaceable speaks of a life free of inward disturbances. When Christians are forced to live in a decadent society, they are disturbed in their very being. Righteous Lot had his soul vexed day after day as he lived and worked in the city of Sodom. Now again, moral conditions in a society may degenerate due to the failure of civil authorities to take a stand on moral issues. There needs to be public affirmations of what constitutes moral behavior, and there should be public repudiation of sinful behavior. And when government leaders fail in their responsibility, and disorder and disruption characterize the day, then Christians are unable to live peaceably. They are distressed, disappointed, and grieved by what they see and hear, and by the fact that evil is not withstood, and righteousness is not affirmed and reinforced. And there are Proverbs that describe this kind of setting, this situation. Proverbs 29, 2, When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn. And Proverbs 28, 28, When the wicked rise, men hide themselves, but when they perish, the righteous increase. And Proverbs 11, 10, When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth, and when the wicked perish, there is shouting. And so, we are to pray for those in authority that they may seek to shape our society according to righteousness, that we may not be tormented by the evil about us. And we need to pray frequently and perhaps fervently in the days that we now find ourselves. Now next, we understand that the purpose for praying for those in authority is so that Christians may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. We are not to pray for authorities merely that we suffer less difficulty and disturbance, but rather so that we might live godly and reverent lives without opposition or resistance. Now take notice, the Bible indicates that political authorities have a responsibility to enable or allow for Christians to live and practice their faith unhindered and unmolested. Political authorities are to promote a culture and a society that Christians may live before God openly and freely, and those days are not like the have been formally. We are not as free today and free to be open today as we once were. Civil authorities are to order society so that Christians may live in godliness. We should be able to live godly lives openly. That is, we should be able to live before God in the public arena. Today it is A sad thing that ungodly people are seeking to shape public policy to prohibit the free expression of faith on the part of Christians. Civil authorities are to order society so that Christians may live in reverence. This speaks about our freedom to live as Christians with openness and dignity in the world. This speaks of living moral and upright lives consistent with our faith. This is not allowed in many workplaces today. You are required to embrace and adopt values that are in conflict with Christian values and convictions. And I could cite many instances of this, particularly among the larger corporations in today's world. Well, we now arrive to one of the most exclusively worded verses of all of Scripture, and this is 1 Timothy 2.5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. The Bible is clear that the only true religion in the world is Christianity, for the only Savior that God has made available for sinful man is His own Son, the Lord Jesus. And so here we see the exclusive nature of Christianity stated forthrightly. Now, this is not popular today. Perhaps I could say a word about our current culture and its reactions to exclusive claims like we just made, like Paul made there in 1 Timothy 2.5. We live in a culture that has been evolving quite significantly in recent years. Values generally regarded as positive and wholesome two decades ago are no longer. And new standards of right and wrong are now embraced by society. And this societal shift can be seen in the changing definitions of some words. There are words that formerly had a positive meaning but now carry primarily a negative connotation. For example, consider the expression to discriminate. This is no longer regarded as a positive character trait. Now this is different than in former times. I have a Webster's Dictionary in my library that my grandmother gave me for my tenth birthday. The copyright is 1962. The definition of the adjective discriminating reads as follows. One, it discriminates. differentiating, two, able to make fine distinctions, discerning, and third, treating differently, differential, as a tariff. There is no hint of the word being negative in this definition. Rather, it describes a positive character trait of one who is intelligent, informed, and alert, who is able to discern the subtleties of right and wrong. While I would suggest in its current usage, to discriminate is used only negatively. In today's world, it describes someone who is narrow, bigoted, ignorant, and unjust. You see, language undergoes change in a manner that reflects changing moral views. Not only has our society's moral norms changed, but our political values are also undergoing modification. Today's concept of religious liberty is different than in former times. Not long ago, religious liberty was viewed in this way. It was the freedom that a person has to believe, practice, and express his religious beliefs according to his conscience. And that was it. The concept of religious liberty was never perceived as imposing on everybody else the responsibility to respect or value the beliefs of others. Thankfully, people are free to believe according to the dictates of their own conscience, and we would not want it any other way. We defend the right for people to believe what they want to believe, but that does not mean we need to respect what it is they believe. But that is how religious liberty now has come to be understood. Religious liberty always was viewed as recognizing that a man is free to believe nonsense, but others have always acknowledged to have the right to say that it is nonsense. But this is no longer the case. To say that another person's belief and practice is wrong and evil is now viewed as bigotry. a denial of religious liberty. It is seen as religious discrimination that is born from arrogant, self-righteous ignorance. And so now we've come to this. If you say that Christianity is the only true religion, all other religions are false, and that there is no salvation other than Jesus Christ, you are seen as un-American, divisive, and a promoter of hate. Nevertheless, we affirm Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God Amen. Well, we must close at this point. Until next time, may our God richly bless you. We trust that God has blessed you from listening to Dr. Lars Larson. Today's program, as well as previously recorded messages, are available through our website. We invite you to visit TheWordofTruth.net. The First Baptist Church of Lemonster and Concerned Friends have sponsored this broadcast of The Word of Truth. If we may assist you by directing you to a sound, reformed church near you, please contact us. If Pastor Larson can assist you further or answer a question that you may have about today's subject, he would be pleased to speak with you. You may reach him at 978-660-8869. Until our next time together, may our God bless you richly through our Lord Jesus Christ. Today's The Word of Truth program was sponsored in part by Paul Rents. Visit paulrents.com for party and equipment rentals.