Sermon 18th September 2022 – 16th Sunday after Pentecost
Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7 – Our mediator
with God
We have a new King – King
Charles the third. And no doubt most preachers will be focusing on this and
Paul’s encouragement to pray for our leaders in order to avoid trying to
interpret and preach on Jesus’ Gospel where he says: Use worldly or rather,
dishonest wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you
will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. It’s a tough parable to dissect.
The 2nd reading from Paul can
be just as challenging in today’s society because it instructs us that there is
only ONE mediator between us and God and that is Jesus Christ. It appears to
exclude all other paths to God whether it be our good works or other religions.
And in today’s society that can be challenging as to try and explain. So let’s
see if we can understand what Paul is saying:
First of all, I urge that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone,
for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. Last week we heard how powerful
prayer was. God was angry with Israel for rejecting him and worshiping a Golden
Calf. It was not the way to God. So God had decided to destroy all of
“stiff-necked” Israel and start again with Moses. But Moses begs for Israel –
pleading for God’s mercy as he intercedes for them. And because of Moses’
prayer it says that “God changed his mind”.
Have you ever considered just
how powerful your prayers are when you are praying for a situation. A prayer
that can actually change God’s mind. A prayer that can change the course of
history. And Christians are charged with that responsibility by praying for all
people – for our King – and all people in positions of authority for a peaceful
life of the world. And for this reason our Prayer of the Church where we pray
for the world, the church and all people according to their needs is not just
another “part of the liturgy” but a fundamental life pulse of the world. Who
else has been charged with this responsibility? Who else can change the mind of
God? Moses did because he had personal access to God which no one else had in
his time.
Remember the people were
frightened of God and begged Moses to not let God speak with them but that
Moses become the mediator between them and God. They said to Moses, “You speak
to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will
die!” So, because Moses was their mediator, they could have their requests made
to God and God would listen and Moses could change the very mind of God.
We had seen that earlier with
Abraham pleading on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. Interceding as their mediator
to stop God from destroying them. And God promised that if he could find a few
as 10 righteous people living there he would not destroy them. God has given us
access to himself through proper mediation.
Nineveh discovered that also
that through their repentance God changed his mind. And now, Paul tells us,
that Jesus is the new mediator between us and God to bring our requests to God
through him. There is one God; there is also one mediator between God and
humankind, Christ Jesus, himself human, who gave himself a ransom for all.
This, as I said, is very
challenging in a world that is growingly rejecting Christianity. But Paul is not
alone in this understanding of Jesus being the only mediator between us and
God. Jesus himself said this: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one
comes to the Father except through me. Coming to God through Jesus is how we
know that God has heard our prayers.
Communication is important in
any relationship. When we send an important letter and we want to know that it
has arrived we will send it by Registered Mail and obtain a signature. We might
ask for a “read receipt” on an email we send to know that it has been received.
With God we don’t need to do that when we come to him through Jesus.
When we pray – in Jesus’ name
I pray. We know with absolute confidence that God has heard our prayer.
But the most important prayer
that we Christians are to pray and to pray unceasingly is to pray for the world
that is moving away from God. Paul says that God desires that all people be
saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. How comforting to know that God
wants everyone to be in heaven with him. And there’s only one thing that
prevents that from happening – as we saw with Moses and Israel – our rejection
of God through sin.
But just as Moses stood
between God’s judgement and Israel, so too Jesus stands between God’s judgement
and us. He is the mediator. He has paid the ransom to free us. So if we reject
Christ then we reject that mediation that Jesus paid for with his life. So as
children of God – as the people of God – as the body of Christ we have a huge
task that God has given to us – but a rewarding task. We are asked to pray. For
all people.
For Kings and those in
leadership. And our prayer is for all people to be saved and to come to a
knowledge of the truth. And what is that truth? Jesus says – “I am the Way, the
Truth and the Life”.
God wants the world to know
how much he loves the world – so much that he sent his one and only Son to die
for us and to be the mediator between him and us. Works of charity – works of
service – serving in positions of leadership in the church are important. But
prayer is not important – it is vital – it is essential. As Christians – we are
the Moses praying to God on behalf of those who have rejected him, like Israel.
As Christians we are sometimes
called to be the Jonah’s of this world to call people back to God through
repentance, like Nineveh, so they can repent and rediscover God’s grace. And
sometimes, like Abraham, we might even find that despite our best efforts,
despite all our pleadings, that, like Sodom and Gomorrah, there is continued
rejection and we need to keep praying. And that’s why Paul says elsewhere -
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. If there is only one God – and
there is only one mediator between humanity and God in Jesus Christ – and that
is what we believe and what Jesus taught – then we have a huge responsibility
to pray for the world to come to the knowledge of truth. But what a blessing to
know that we can come to God as we read in the book of Hebrews – to approach
God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find
grace to help us in our time of need. And not just for ourselves but the world
– for Kings – and all people according to their needs.
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