The Only Mediator Revealed
Minister: |
Rev. Ronald Van Overloop |
Date: |
6/6/2010 AM
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Text:
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Hebrews 2;
Lord's Day 6
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Psalters: |
131, 69, 223, 208 |
- What He must be.
- Our deliverance from our sins and miseries comes from the “Mediator.”
- Our Mediator/Substitute must be completely human, perfectly righteous, and very God (q. 15).
- First, He must have the same human nature all humans have (Hebrews 2:14-17).
- Second, He must be perfectly righteous, without any corruption or actual sin.
- And third, our Mediator must be very God.
- He must be sustained by Divine power, as He endures God’s infinite wrath.
- He must earn eternal life and everlasting happiness, which only the infinite God can do.
- God Himself provided the “one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (I Tim. 2:5).
- The Mediator is provided by God Himself, not by us, nor by a joint effort of God and man (cf. Gen. 15).
- Jesus Christ met the qualifications necessary.
- The union of these Divine and human natures of Jesus is called the “Incarnation” (coming in flesh).
- For the first few centuries the Christian Church struggled with a proper understanding of this relationship.
- The Counsel of Chalcedon, 451 A.D.(p. 84 of Psalter) concluded that Jesus is two natures united in One Person.
- Of this Mediator we learn in the Gospel.
- The Gospel is God’s good news about Christ and His perfect work of reconciliation.
- This Gospel is preached by the Church into all the world.
- Faith embraces the Redeemer spoken of in the Gospel.