No Mediator?

We are in the book of Job today. I am reading three days reading from the DAY BY DAY CHRONOLOGICAL BIBLE and I read the first thirteen chapters of Job.

Recapping what has taken place in these thirteen chapters; Job, a very wealth, and godly, righteous man by God’s declaration, not mine, has lost all the wealth he had. Not only did he lose that, but he lost his ten children to a great whirl wind.  Then he lost the support of his wife.

He has had three good friends to come visit him, to comfort and encourage him.  They do not speak for some time. My thought of that is they should have gone home.  The names of Job’s friends are Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Job is the first to speak, and they could not help but answer back. In one of Job’s speeches he says the following, speaking of God…

For He is not a man, as I am, that I should answer Him, and we should come together in judgment.  Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.  Let Him take His rod away from me, and let not His fear terrify me:  then would I speak, and not fear Him; but it is not so with me.
Job 9:32-35

Job is most likely feeling forsaken by God.  Abandoned, left to figure these things out for himself.  Yet, never opens His mouth in cursing the LORD.  He says “Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay His hand on us.”  At that point in time there was a Mediator with God, but He was not known by them; because in First Timothy of the New Testament, the Bible says: “There is one God, and there is one Mediator between God and men; the Man Christ Jesus”  (1 Timothy 2:5-6).  Jesus Christ who has always been, and has become man in the flesh, without sin had to die on the cross for the sins of the world, becoming sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God.

Job so ached to be able to speak to God, but God was not speaking to Him.  The following thought or saying that is quite true; “The teacher is always silent during the test” is a good reminder of why God seems far away.  It is a test for our growing faith and love for Christ and the Father and Spirit  of God.

I do have great confidence in my Mediator who stands before me and the Father in my stead, and in yours too when you have called on the name of the LORD to save you He hears, and forgives you and calls you His child.

By His Own Blood He Entered The Most Holy Place

But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the Holy Place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.  For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
Hebrews 9:11-15

Those Who Hear the Word of God, and Do It

Then came to Him His mother and His brethren, and could not come at Him for the press. And it was told Him by certain which said, “Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee.” And He answered and said unto them,
“My mother and My brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it.”                                                                           Luke 8:19-21

It was not the news media of the day that kept Mary and Jesus’s brethren from seeing Jesus; it was the great number of people who was there.

Jesus is making it clear that one’s who were hearing the word of God and doing it; applying what He said to their lives; these were the ones who were and are His brethren.

This should cause those who put Mary on a higher plain, or a place of veneration, or a place of intercession to have access to Jesus Himself is moot, and completely idolatrous worship. A place that Mary did, neither does not deserve.

Jesus is our Intercessor, our Mediator between God and Adam’s race (1 Timothy 2:5).

If you desire to know Jesus, then call out to Him in repentance and faith for forgiveness of sin, and He will hear you and He will save you. Then do what He says.

The Mediator’s Own Blood

“Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a worldly sanctuary. For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and the table, and the shewbread; which is called the sanctuary.  And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all; which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and Aaron’s rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant; and over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle, accomplishing the service; but into the second the high priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself, and the errors of the people: the Holy Spirit this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing: which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as pertaining to the conscience;  only in meats and drinks, and divers washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed until the time of reformation.
But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?  And for this cause He is the Mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.  For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.  For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator lives.
Whereupon neither the first testament was dedicated without blood.  For when Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law, he took the blood of calves and of goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book, and all the people, saying, ‘This is the blood of the testament which God has given unto you.’  Moreover he sprinkled with blood both the tabernacle, and all the vessels of the ministry. And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission; therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others; for then must He often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:1-28

REFERENCES: 3:1; 5:3; 6:19; 8:5; 9:7; Exodus 16:33; 24:5, 8; 25:8, 18; 26:31; 29:12; 30:10; Leviticus 14:4; 16:2; Numbers 28:3; Daniel 9:24; Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:14; Romans 3:25; 1 Timothy 2:5; Galations 3:15; Genesis 3:19; 2 Corinthians 5:10; Matthew 26:28; Titus 2:13; 1 Peter 2:24

Day 5 – Mediator Desired

It seems in the reading in early Genesis that Adam must have had a fellowship with God; walking with Him in the garden on a regular basis; before there was sin in the garden.  After their rebellion and disobedience, God came walking to them, they heard His voice, and they hid themselves.

The voice of God is a fearful thing to sinful man.  Nothing vile, and unclean can stand in His presence, and it seems that is ingrained in every unredeemed heart.  It is seen in Exodus following the deliverance of Israel out of Egypt.  After the powerful and fearful working power of God in the land of Egypt you would almost think that there would be a heart that longed to hear the voice of God, but no, that did not happen.  Hear their voices;

“And they said unto Moses, ‘Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die.’  And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.  And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.”  Exodus 20:19-21 (KJV)

We can see in this that what the people wanted was actually a Mediator.  Someone to stand between them and God, and someone to speak for God, rather than hear Him themselves.  Moses says to them, “‘Fear not: for God is come to prove you, and that His fear may be before your faces, that ye sin not.”  Another translation says it like this,

 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses said, “for God has come in this way to show you his awesome power. From now on, let your fear of him keep you from sinning!”  Exodus 20:20 (NLT)

It is definite that we do need a Mediator between us and God; and God has provided His Mediator.  That Mediator is Jesus, and makes it so much different.  The apostle Paul has written by the inspiration of the Spirit of God,

“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.”  1 Timothy 2:5-6

We need to see sin as a very fearful, hurtful, destructive, eternally deadly thing in our lives.  We need to see that we need God in our lives, lest we go to death and destruction – eternal death and destruction.  God requires perfection by the law.  The law shows that we are imperfect, and cannot reach God; however God has provided a way; the Mediator who gave Himself a ransom for all who will believe.

Look at the difference the apostle John offers in the New Testament;

“Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not.  Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is.  And every man that hath this hope in Him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.”  1 John 3:1-3 (KJV)

Those who are redeemed through the blood of Jesus are the “sons of God”, unknown by the world, because it knew and knows not Christ.  The son of God seeks God out; and seeks to be just as pure and holy as He is pure and holy.  No more fear to hear His voice, because of the Mediation of the Lord Jesus Christ and His shed blood on Calvary’s cross.

-Tim A. Blankenship

How Should Any be Just with God?

How Should Any be Just with God?

Job 9:1-35

1.  The legalism of Bildad;
a.  This is the judgment of God (8:1-7);
b.  Look at the issues of past history (8:8-10);
c.  Look at the evidence of nature (8:11-22).

2.  Job’s questions;
a.  How can I be just/righteous with God? (v. 2)
b.  How can stand before God in debate? (v. 3)
c.  In chapter 10 he asks, “Why was I even born?”

I.  JOB’S CONCLUSION IS THAT DEBATING WITH GOD IS FUTILE (v. 3).

II.  THE GOD OF CREATION IS UNAPPROACHABLE BY MAN ALONE (vv.  4-15).

III.  BEFORE GOD EVERY MOUTH WILL BE STOPPED/EVERY MAN CONDEMNED AS A LIAR (vv. 16-21; Romans 3:4).

IV.  WITHOUT A REDEEMER WE ALL STAND GUILTY BEFORE GOD (vv. 22-31).

V.  JOB AND ALL MANKIND NEEDS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN OURSELVES AND GOD (vv. 32-35).

Application –

i.  Mankind in his pride, religion, moral goodness cannot stand before the just, righteous and holy GOD;
ii.  As far as we are concerned He is unapproachable, because of His purity; and our impurity;
iii.  All the accusations of mankind will be stopped and we shall be accounted as liars;
iv.  However, there is a redeemer; He too is just, righteous, and holy;  He is GOD; our “daysman” – Mediator;  His name is Jesus.

-TA.

This sermon was preached in the Sunday morning worship 07/24/11