1 Timothy chapter 2, we'll read down through verse number 6. 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. Let me stop there for a moment. How many of you pray for government? Pray for those in authority. Kings, rulers, presidents, mayors, legislators, judges, dictators. Yes, dictators. Godless dictators. That's what was in existence when Timothy was a young man. Godless men. Pray for them. that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. We read in Proverbs where the scriptures say that the heart of the king is in the hand of the Lord. And like the rivers of water, he turneth it whithersoever he chooses. Can God turn the heart of a godless dictator? You bet he can. Nothing is beyond God's reach. He can turn that heart just as easily as he can turn your heart. pray for kings and 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 come 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. I want us to particularly examine verse number five, but before we do that, remember the purpose of this letter, why Paul wrote this letter. He wrote it to his young protege, Timothy, who was a pastor of a church. And he actually wrote him two letters, 1st and 2nd Timothy. They are what are commonly called the pastoral epistles. They were written by Paul to Timothy to encourage him in his work and ministry as a pastor, as a young man leading a congregation of people and believers. And the book is filled with directives, how to handle certain kinds of problems and issues A charge and a reminder to Timothy to use the gift that God had given to him and to not be ashamed of it and to use it. And in this particular emphasis here, this particular passage that we're looking at, he's talking about prayer and to pray for those in authority. Kings, rulers, all kinds of men. Not just those that perhaps are on our own economic or social level or educational level, but for all levels. Pray for the king. Pray for the one that is the lowest in our society. Pray for all of them. Pray for all men. And we see the reason why Paul urges Timothy to pray for all men And it's in verse 5 because there's only one mediator. There's only one. There aren't many. There aren't lots of. There aren't your choice of. There's one. There's one mediator between God and men. The man Christ Jesus. And I want us to examine for a few moments in our study this aspect of the Lord Jesus. The fact that he is a mediator. And it's an emphasis here that Paul used with Timothy in his prayer, but it also is a doctrinal truth that he's pointing out to Timothy and reminding him that the Lord Jesus is a mediator. He comes in between. And today there is great fallacy taught about this aspect of the Lord Jesus. And it's completely denied and rejected. He is not a mediator. For, there are many gods. Take your choice. And when you find one that you kind of like, and you want to call him your god, well you just kind of like a menu at a restaurant. You know, you just pick a few things here, and this and a little of that, and it's kind of like the a la carte menu. You know, I'll take the entree, and I'll take the potatoes, and I'll take the soup, and I'll have some salad, and oh yeah, come and see me later, I'll have dessert. We just kind of pick and choose. And that is a great influx of belief in our day. Very prevalent and very common. Even among those who would call themselves Christians. They would say that, well, the Bible presents one way of coming to God, and it's the way that I happen to believe. But you know, God is a God of love. And he can see the sincere heart. Oh, what are they saying there when they say that? Do you read between the lines what they're saying when they say that? In other words, what they are saying when they say that is, this isn't the only way, this is the way that I understand it to be. And God sees the sincerity of other people, and if He sees true sincerity in them, Oh no, my friends. No. That's false. That's not true. For there's only one mediator. There's only one. There aren't many. You don't get to choose. There's one mediator between God and men. The man Christ Jesus. And you have to deal with Him. He's the only one. You have to deal with Him. So there's a great fallacy, and so this doctrinal truth is important for our day, and a reminder to us, and an expansion of our knowledge of Christ, and who He is, and what He accomplishes on our behalf, and has provided for us as believers in Christ. It's an important doctrine. So I want us to take a few moments tonight and examine this doctrine of the Mediator, Christ the Mediator, the only Mediator between God and men. And I want us to look at, first of all, what is a Mediator, forgetting for a moment the application and the doctrinal instruction here, but just what is a Mediator? And then how Christ fulfills that on our behalf and on the behalf of sinners and others who as yet have not come to Christ, but yet can find in Him the true mediator between them and God. And the uniqueness of the Lord Jesus and why it is He is the only mediator. So first, just a few things about a mediator and then we can see how Christ fulfills them. First of all, when is a mediator needed? There are only some circumstances in life when you need a mediator and that is when there is a controversy, when there is a problem, when there is disagreement between two or more parties and they cannot reconcile. The loggerheads is another phrase in our society that we use to describe two individuals or more or groups of people that they just don't agree and there's disagreement and they don't communicate. There's no way to resolve their issues and they don't have the capability of resolving those issues. They need a mediator. They need someone to help them mediate and resolve their issues. Well, how does a mediator do that? What is the function, then, of a mediator? Well, a mediator is a go-between. A middleman, if you will. Someone who goes in between the conflicting parties. who cannot resolve their issues. The mediator works with one of the sides and then the mediator goes to the other side and communicates to that and communicates some things that the other group has to say and the mediator goes back and forth between the dissenting parties and serves as an intermediary, a go-between. And in order to accomplish that role, the mediator is an intercessor. The mediator pleads the cause of the other group to the other one. And back and forth. And he pleads on behalf of this group and tries to intercede on their behalf with those with whom they are at enmity. And on occasion, the mediator will have to be an interpreter. and explain what the other side means and wants and what their confusion and problems are with the other side and they go back and forth. So that's the function of a mediator. That's what a mediator does. Now what is the effect or the result or the consequences of a mediator's actions? Well, he restores peace. A mediator restores peace between the parties that are at enmity. There's reconciliation. There's a coming together. And in the process of doing that, there is the ratification of a new agreement between the parties. They come to some new resolution, some new agreement between them on which they can agree And there's peace, there's reconciliation where once existed enmity and division and controversy. So in other words, and this is an important point, don't miss this point. If a mediator does not bring resolution, then he didn't mediate. If there is no resolution, if there is no agreement, if there is no new covenant, if there is no reconciliation between the parties, then he did not mediate. He may have tried to mediate, but he didn't mediate. He didn't bring it together. Why is that important? Well, remind me of that with a few nods of the head when we get later to point out how Christ fulfills mediation and is a mediator, and I'll point out to you how that is important and why that is an important issue. Well, what are the requirements of a mediator? Well, a mediator has to have certain qualities or certain powers, if you will, in order to bring about a resolution. First of all, there has to be a willingness and a desire for mediation on the part of one of the parties. If neither of the parties care, you're never going to have a mediator. But if one of the parties says, hey, I want to reconcile with that party over there. We need to come together. We need to resolve our issues, and they would then contract, if you will, or contact someone to serve as a mediator on their behalf and try to bring about a resolution. So one of the parties has to have this desire, this willingness to bring about a resolution of the enmity. Secondly, you have to trust the mediator. You have to trust him or her. this one who serves as the mediator the parties have to trust the mediator that when the mediator goes to the other party they are going to fairly represent them and are going to honestly intercede on their behalf with the other party with whom they are at odds and the mediator must have some desire to represent the parties and their needs and desires. So those are what involved in a mediated settlement. The use of a mediator to bring about the resolution of parties that are at enmity. Now just kind of briefly before we get into the exact application of how Christ fulfills it, just a few comments about how it fits in from a spiritual standpoint. Understand that within the Godhead, the Father, the Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, there is no need of mediation. There is no conflict between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. There is no enmity between them. They are one. So that isn't where the enmity exists. It is in between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Secondly, God does not need to reconcile with man. He doesn't need to. God can continue to be God whether He reconciles with His creation or not. So there was no need on the part of God to bring about a mediator to reconcile himself with his lost creation, mankind. There's no need to do that. He didn't have to do that. He didn't make any promises that he would. There was no need on his behalf, in order to do it, to bring about some peace within himself. There is no need for God to reconcile with his lost creation. But there is definitely a need on the part of mankind to reconcile with God. Because mankind is under condemnation, lost, dead, completely unable, incapable of reconciling with God. hopeless, absolutely lost, no hope of ever reconciling with God, with whom he is at enmity. And mankind is at enmity with God, and God is at enmity with man. God doesn't need resolution. The man does. God brings about reconciliation by providing a mediator. Demonstrating His grace, His mercy, His love, and all the other aspects of His nature by providing a mediator when He didn't have to. Making provision for reconciliation between himself and his lost creation. That's Christ. Now let's take a few moments and look at Christ the mediator and the role of Christ as the mediator. First we need to understand that there is a great gulf between God and man. Now, the Lord Jesus made mention of that in his parable of the rich man and Lazarus and how when they both died, the rich man was in torment in hell and Lazarus, the poor sick man, was in the bosom of Abraham experiencing great bliss. There was a great gulf, the parable teaches us, a great gulf between the two, and there was no ability to go between the two locations. There is a great gulf between God and man. And man is incapable of bridging that gulf. Incapable of resolving the conflict between himself and God. And furthermore, doesn't want to. And that's the part we have grave difficulty with. We don't like to think that, do we? But we really don't. We really don't want to have resolution and reconciliation with God. He just might want me to do some things I don't want to do. An inherent in the nature of man is an enmity against God and an inability to please Him. Christ comes to be the mediator. And we find that the scripture describes on various occasions his function and role as a mediator and how he fulfills it on behalf of sinners like you and me. I'll just mention a few of them and the references that point out where it talks about Christ serving in that capacity as a mediator on our behalf. First of all, he's an intermediator. We read in 1 John 2, verse 1, it says, We have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. We have an advocate. Any of you that have been involved in legal skirmishes and disputes and battles, when you hired an attorney, And He represented you, and He went before the other party, or perhaps even in the court on your behalf, and He represents you. He is your advocate. Your intermediary. He is going between you and the court. You and the other party. That's what Jesus is. He is an advocate on behalf of sinners, before the Father. He is our advocate. Secondly, Christ is an interpreter of God. He's a revealer to us of God. He reveals to us God's message. He reveals to us God's demands upon us, His creation. And He interprets to us God, His Father, our Father. We read in Matthew 11, 27, where Jesus talks about how grateful He is that the Father has revealed Himself unto the lowest of the society. He says, for such have pleased you, and that I am revealed unto those such as you choose. Christ reveals the Father. unto us. He's the revealer to us. And we read in Hebrews chapter 1 where God says He has spoken to us in diverse ways and in diverse manners. In olden times He says He has spoken to us by His prophets. But in this day He says I have spoken unto you by My Son. Who is the exact representation of me? I am in Him, and He is my representative. We read in John chapter 1, where it says, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. What's the Word? That's God's revelation through Christ. So Jesus is not only an intermediary, but He's an interpreter. He reveals to us God. He also is an intercessor. He intercedes on behalf of us. We read in Romans chapter 8 where He is our intercessor before God. And in Hebrews chapter 7, we read again where Jesus intercedes on our behalf. Oh, what a great mediator Christ is. But you need to trust the mediator. He can't be your mediator unless you trust Him. that he's a great mediator. Then further, we read what he has accomplished. What he has accomplished for us. Now here's the point where I mentioned to you earlier, why is it important that if there is no settlement, then he didn't mediate. Because there are those who try to describe the Lord Jesus as someone who mediates for everyone in creation, but only effectively for some. Well now, if there ever was a statement that didn't make any sense, and self contradicts itself, it's that statement. Because you can't mediate unless you mediate. Then you're not a mediator. If you didn't settle it, then you didn't mediate. And if you did, you did. So it rules out, and they try to use this particular verse as one of those, as a proof text, if you will, of universal salvation. Well, because he's the mediator. He mediated for everyone. Well, no, he didn't. Because if he mediated for everyone, what then did Christ accomplish as mediator on behalf of sinners like you and me? We read in Romans chapter 5, verse 1, that he restored peace with God. Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. So as our mediator, the Lord Jesus restored peace between sinful man and a holy God. The second thing he accomplished was he reconciled the enmity that existed between God and sinful creatures. We read in 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verse 18 that we've been reconciled back to God. God wasn't reconciled to us. He didn't change. We changed. We were reconciled through Christ the Mediator back to God. And the enmity that existed between God and man was reconciled in Christ the Mediator. The third thing he accomplished as our Mediator is he ratified a new covenant. You recall as we talked about one of the things that a Mediator accomplishes when he mediates is he brings together a new agreement between the two parties for disagreement previously existed. As our mediator, the Lord Jesus ratifies a new covenant and that is all through the book of Hebrews. Hebrews chapter 8 and chapter 9 and chapter 12. We read of how the Lord Jesus ratified a new covenant And on the night in which he was betrayed, when he instituted the Lord's table and communion, he talked about his blood being the blood of a new covenant. And we are brought together with God through Christ, the Mediator. Now there are some distinctives about the Lord Jesus as the Mediator that distinguish Him and separate Him from other kinds of Mediators. We mentioned earlier that there was no responsibility on the part of a mediator to assume any of the liability of either of the parties. The mediator just went between the two parties and tried to reconcile them together. The Lord Jesus, however, distinguishes himself as our mediator in that he assumes the sins of sinful men. He who knew no sin became sin for us. He assumed that thing which made us at enmity with God. And he assumed it upon himself even though he himself was sinless. And a second distinctive that we see about the Lord Jesus as our mediator is that he paid the penalty that those sins required. There is no responsibility on the part of a mediator to assume any of the liabilities or make any of the payments to bring together the two parties that are at odds. Ah, but the Lord Jesus, when He became our mediator, He not only assumed our sins, but He paid the penalty that those sins demanded, and He paid them in full. We read in Matthew chapter 20, verse 28, that He became a ransom for many. Now we also see in our text another way in which the Lord Jesus serves as our mediator and that is He is the only one. He is the singular mediator between God and men. You recall we mentioned earlier that one of the parties had to decide to bring about a mediated settlement between those two that were in disagreement and would seek mediation through a mediator. We, as sinful creatures, had no desire nor any ability to bring about any settlement with God. So the option entirely lays in the hands of God, whether He would choose to make a mediation with sinful men or not. And at His option, He chose to bring in a mediator. And of course this mediator was appointed by God, selected by Him at His option, and was therefore approved and accepted by God. And God has revealed to us who that mediator is, and that's the Lord Jesus. And we read it clearly in our text. There's only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. And he is uniquely qualified to serve as the mediator between God and man in that he has not only the humanity of man, he was born of a woman, he took upon himself human nature, but he also at the same time is deity. He is God in the flesh, two natures, one man. thus making him uniquely qualified to serve as the mediator between sinners and a holy God. Now what are the implications that derive from these truths of the Lord Jesus being the mediator between God and men? I'll just mention a few of them to you. I won't take the time to develop them in any detail, but just to mention a few implications that arise because the Lord Jesus is the mediator of sinners. First of all, it identifies the dreadful breach between God and men. There is a breach between God and sinners. There's a gulf fixed, we read in Matthew. There's that gulf between sinners and a holy God. And the fact that God brings into play a mediator identifies for us that there is a breach between us. The second thing it reveals to us is the need for reconciliation between God and man. Because there is this breach, because there is this divide, there is this gulf, there is need for reconciliation between God and men. Sinful man is under condemnation. He is separated from God. Completely unable and incapable of bridging the gap back to God, the condition of man is not only under condemnation, but hopeless. No way to bring about a reconciliation with God. The third thing it shows to us is a need to satisfy God's justice. God is a God of justice, and His demands will be met. He didn't change any of his demands when he brought in a mediator. He didn't yield to sinful men on any point or any occasion. But his justice had to be met. The fourth thing it reveals to us is that it shows the greatness of God's love for sinners. Because he was under no obligation whatsoever to bring about a reconciliation with his sinful creation. When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they brought about a separation with God, and there was no mention at all in Scripture of God saying, well, if you happen to sin, I will provide a means of bringing you back. There was nothing mentioned. There was only judgment. But God reveals to us the greatness of His love for sinners, in that He brought in a mediator, brought about reconciliation, through the love of Christ. And we read that described for us in Romans chapter 5. Another thing the mediator of the Lord Jesus, his mediation, reveals to us is the greatness of Christ. The Lord Jesus was a great mediator. He brings about mediation between God, a holy God, and sinful men. creatures lost, hopeless in sin. And it shows to us the greatness of Christ. And reveals to us the infinite value of His blood and of His sufferings. For His blood satisfied God's justice completely. And it brings about sufficient satisfaction to God the Father to bring about peace. Last, I would just mention two things of warning. that we see from the mediation of Christ, and that's this, it warns us of the danger of rejecting Christ. The scriptures tell us there is only one mediator between God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. And the great evil that occurs when we rely upon any other mediator other than Christ, the one whom God appointed and has revealed to us as his mediator between God and men. How can the Holy Spirit use these truths in your life and in my life today? Well, first of all, He can clarify for us the truth. He can open our eyes to see the truth of the Mediator, who He is, and that He has made provision for sinners like you and like me. And he can open our eyes to see the truth of Jesus Christ, the mediator. And in pointing out the Lord Jesus as the mediator between God and men, it also helps us to see the error of trusting or believing or thinking there is any other mediator or way to God other than Christ. In clarifying for us the truth, it also will strengthen our faith. It will eliminate doubt and expand our understanding of the truth of God and His provision for us in the Lord Jesus, so that it will strengthen and edify our faith. The third thing this instruction will do is it will encourage us and will exalt the Lord Jesus, the Lord of glory. So the first thing the Spirit of God can do is clarify for us the truth. Secondly, the Spirit of God can convict us of our sin. Where has the Spirit of God identified in your heart and life your failure to believe and accept and trust the truth? The Spirit of God rebukes us and points out to us our sin and our unbelief and pinpoints and identifies in our hearts and our minds that specific area where we have failed to trust and to believe the truth. Has the Spirit of God opened your eyes to realize that you need to repent of your sin and to trust and ask God for forgiveness? A second thing the Spirit of God can do is not only will He instruct us and clarify for us the truth, but He will correct us from our sin. The Spirit of God identifies and rebukes us for our sin and points out our failure to trust and to believe that He might bring us to correction, that He might change us and bring us to repentance. Oh, ladies and gentlemen, we need to regard the reproof of the Holy Spirit, and we need to listen to His voice, and we need to repent of our sin, and to turn from it, and trust the Spirit of God to change us, to conform our lives, to believe and accept the truth. And in that process, may the Spirit of God also then revive us and bring about a newness of life within us. How will you respond to these truths? Well, there are several ways you can respond. First of all, you can just refuse them. You can just refuse to believe them and say that Time Hill doesn't know what he's talking about and just refuse it and just reject it and turn from it. Another thing you could do is you could say tomorrow, I'll examine it more thoroughly tomorrow, and you can relegate it into the future. Some future time, I'll think about it again." My friend, the Scriptures tell us that today is a day of salvation. And the Scriptures remind us that if today you hear His voice, harden not your heart. A third thing that we can do, how we can respond to these truths, is we can use them to re-examine our hearts and our lives. Do we believe the truth? Have we trusted in Christ the mediator, the one whom God has made provision for sinners, as a means of reconciling us back to Himself? And you can reaffirm that truth after you reexamine it and look at it again. You can reaffirm the truth in your own heart and mind and trust on it, rely upon it, come to believe it and rest your case upon the truth. trusting Christ as your mediator, trusting upon Him to be that which the Father sent Him to do, to be the mediator between sinners and Himself, the Holy God, and realign your life to the truth, and mold and conform your attitudes and beliefs and actions to the truth as revealed in God's Word. My prayer for you, my friend, is that you will listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, that you will heed His rebuke, that you will listen to His still small voice that would draw you to Christ the Mediator, and trust upon Him to be your Mediator, and find by faith and trust in Him the new life that God promises, peace in the midst of the storm, reconciliation back to the Holy Father. I pray that you will trust in Christ today.