In Eric Bechler's sermon on 'Of Christ the Mediator, 1689 SLBC, Chap. 8, Par. 4', the focus is on Christ's role as a mediator and surety, willingly undertaken for humanity's redemption. The sermon ties Christ's mediation to his birth, life, death, and resurrection, emphasizing his perfect fulfillment of the law and the atonement for humanity's sins. It details Christ's suffering, crucifixion, and the significance of his resurrection with the same body, underscoring that he saw no corruption. Christ's ascension and continuing role in intercession are highlighted, with an emphasis on his eventual return to judge all. The sermon reflects on the covenant of redemption, illustrating Christ's love and the importance of faith in him for eternal life. As Christmas approaches, it invites reflection on the significance of Christ’s birth and his redemptive work.

A reading this morning from the second London Baptist Confession of 1689 comes from chapter 8 of Christ the Mediator. This week we're in paragraph 4. Which that he might discharge, he was made under the law, and did perfectly fulfill it, and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have borne and suffered. Being made sin and a curse for us, enduring the most grievous sorrows in his soul and most painful sufferings in his body, was crucified and died and remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption. On the third day he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered, with which he also ascended into heaven, and there siteth at the right hand of his Father, making intercession, and shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world." This morning we continue with chapter 8 of Christ the Mediator.

Our paragraph this morning focuses on what was involved, what did he have to do in Christ being our mediator, a commission he undertook willingly. I find it providential to be going over this so close to Christmas. Perhaps it will provide some additional food for thought as we draw closer to our celebration of the birth of Christ and all that is behind that pivotal moment in history. As we begin, we see a connection to last week's paragraph with the very first section of our paragraph today. This office, the Lord Jesus did most willingly undertake.

This office is the office of mediator and surety, wherein to Christ was called by his father. And we talked about that last week. As a reminder, a mediator is one who interposes between two parties that are at variance to procure a reconciliation. The two parties involved here are God and man. And the conditions are obedience, perfect obedience.

It's a condition that we are unable to satisfy, and thus the need for a mediator, one who would procure reconciliation, one who would redeem his people. As far as surety, Noah Webster defined surety based on scripture, quote, in scripture, Christ is called the surety of a better testament. Hebrews 7 22. He undertook to make atonement for the sins of men and thus prepare the way to deliver them from the punishment to which they had rendered themselves liable. Our Lord Jesus Christ willingly undertook the office of mediator and surety.

He desired to do his Father's will. He not only desired but he delighted in doing it as we read from Psalms 47 and 8. Ben said, I lo I come in the volume of the book it is written of me I delight to do thy will oh my god yea thy law is within my heart. We also get a sense of his willingness both from the Gospel of John and from Paul's letter to the Philippians in John 10 18, No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down.

I have power to take it again. This commandment I have received of my father." In Philippians 2, 8, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross. This office which that he might discharge he was made under the law. Let's start with the word discharge. What does it mean here?

To discharge your duties is to do them, to carry them out in the best way that you can. So the Lord Jesus would discharge the duties of the office of mediator and surety, and our confession states that he would willingly undertake this. But to properly discharge the duties of the office of mediator and surety, he must first be made under the law, he must be made flesh. In Paul's letter to the Galatians, we read this directly from Scripture in Galatians 4.4, but when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman made under the law to redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the adoption of sons. We read more evidence of Christ's birth in the Gospel of Luke in the prophecy of Simeon that he would not die until he saw the Lord's Christ.

In Luke 2, verses 25 through 35, And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law. Then took he him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word, for my eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared before the face of all people, a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him.

And Simeon blessed them and said unto Mary his mother behold this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel for a sign which shall be spoken against yea a sword shall pierce through my own soul also that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed. So we confess that Jesus was made under the law. Why do we confess this? Because, of course, scripture tells us this. In our next section, we start going through these duties that Christ discharged in his office as a mediator, to be a mediator, insure it to.

The Lord Jesus was made under the law and did perfectly fulfill it and underwent the punishment due to us, which we should have borne and suffered. There are three parts to this section to take a look at. The first is Christ did in fact perfectly fulfill the law. We read this in the gospel of Matthew in chapter 3 verse 15. And Jesus answering said unto him, suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness.

Then he suffered him." In Matthew 5 17, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. The second part is that Christ underwent the punishment due us. Christ, who was sinless, who was righteous, he did not deserve punishment because he did not violate the law. He lived a perfect life.

Us, on the other hand, are vile creatures unable to do what is right by the law. So what does scripture say regarding this? In 1st Peter 2, 21, for even hereunto were ye called because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example that ye should follow his steps. And in 1st Peter 318, for Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. The last part of our section here is that we are who deserve to bear the punishment.

We are the ones who should suffer. We are corrupt. We are unrighteous. We see in Romans 3.23, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. In Isaiah 64, 6, we have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment.

We all fade like a leaf, and our Iniquities like the wind take us away. In Isaiah 13, 11, I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity. I will put an end to the pump of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. Finally, in Revelation 21, 8, But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death. Our Lord Jesus took on the punishment for our sins.

This was one of the many duties He discharged in His office as mediator and surety. Let's continue to the next part. Lord Jesus being made sin and a curse for us. This is part of the humiliation of Christ that our sins have been imputed to him and that he had to become a curse in our place. Paul writes of this in his letters to the Corinthians and to the Galatians in 2 Corinthians 521, for he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

And in Galatians 3, 10 through 14. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, for it is written, cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them, but that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God. It is evident, for the just shall live by faith, and the law is not of faith, but the man that doeth them shall live in them. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.

That blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. And we read about God forsaking Jesus as he dies on the cross, bearing the sin, bearing the punishment for the sin of his people, further increasing Christ's agony. We see in Matthew 27, 46, In about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? That is to say, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? And this leads us into the next few parts of our paragraph detailing the suffering of Christ that he endured for us, for his people, and again discharging his duties as mediator and surety.

The Lord Jesus enduring the most grievous sorrows in his soul and most painful sufferings in his body. We can turn to the Gospel of Matthew to read the description of Jesus praying at Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas to the authorities. And we get a picture of the state of his soul at this point, Matthew 26, 37, and 38. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death.

Tear ye here, and watch with me. And in Luke 22, 44, in being in agony, he prayed more earnestly. And his sweat was, as it were, great drops of blood falling down to the ground, knowing that he would be betrayed by someone he had just spent three years with, knowing that he would be isolated from the Father, knowing that he would have to endure great pain. It's no wonder that he was exceeding sorrowful in his soul and in agony. And as to the sufferings of Christ's body, we again turn to the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew 27, 26.

Then he released Barabbas unto them, and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. We'll take just a moment to talk about scourging. This was a type of torture. A special type of whip was used that had leather cords, bones, sometimes sheep bones, and pieces of metal wrapped throughout the cords. This whip was designed to impart maximum pain and loss of blood.

As Jesus was whipped, the pieces of metal and bone would have cut through his flesh, even ripping off pieces with each lash. It's not known how many lashes Jesus received. The Jews limited to themselves to 39 lashes. However, Jesus was scourged by the Romans, not the Jews, and they had no such limitations. Many who were scourged actually died in that process.

Remember though, Jesus had been handed over to die by crucifixion, not by scourging. And in reality, it really doesn't matter how many lashes he received. The point here was the intense bodily suffering he had to endure. When the scourging was finished, the soldiers mocked Jesus, they spit upon him, they smote him on the head, and they finally crucified him. The Gospel of Matthew details this in chapter 27 verses 29 through 31.

And when they had plated a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and they took the reed and smote him on the head. And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him and put on his own reanment on him and led him away to crucify him." Which leads us to the next part of our paragraph. The Lord Jesus was crucified and died and remained in the state of the dead, yet saw no corruption. We just read from Matthew 27-31 that the Romans led him away to crucify him.

We can also read from the Gospel of John and in Paul's letter to the Philippians in John 19, 18, there they crucified him and with him two other men, one on either side and Jesus in between. The Philippians 2, 8, and being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death of the cross. The phrase in this section that's remained in the state of the death is an interesting phrase and there's a lot of different opinions on where Christ was and what he did between the point of his death and his resurrection. I'm not gonna expand on that. It's still an interesting part of the phrase.

On the Westminster Confession, at this point, they use the phrase, remained under the power of death. I kind of like that phrase better, but I think they both mean the same thing, ultimately, that Jesus really died. He didn't just appear to be dead, he was really dead. And despite Jesus really dying and being in the tomb for three days, his physical body still saw no corruption. And We see this confirmed in Scripture in Acts 13.37, but he whom God raised again saw no corruption.

In Psalm 16.10 and Acts 2.27, because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption." We continue. The Lord Jesus on the third day he arose from the dead with the same body in which he suffered. There are many verses in scripture which tell of Jesus's death and resurrection on the third day. Look at Luke 922. The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.

In Acts 1040, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear. Our section here clarifies that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day with the same body that endured the scourging, the same body that had nails driven into the hands and feet, the same body that was pierced in the side. Jesus indicates that it was the same body that he rose in when he appeared to the disciples to confront the doubting Thomas and have him place his hands in his wounds in the Gospel of John. We turn to John 20 verses 27. Then sayeth he Jesus to Thomas, reach hither thy finger and behold my hands.

Reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and be not faithless but believing. Moving on to our last number of sections here with which he also ascended into heaven. In Acts of the Apostles, Acts 1, 9 through 11, we find scriptural support for this. And when he had spoken these things while they beheld, he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, you men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?

This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven." So Jesus ascended into heaven, and then what? Our paragraph states, "...and there sitteth at the right hand of his Father, making intercession." This is part of the exaltation of Christ, part of his reward in fulfilling the covenant of redemption. Paul tells us in Romans where Jesus ascended to, in Romans 8.34, Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. And in Hebrews 9, 24, For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." Again, we see Christ charging his duties as mediator and surety.

In our last part of our paragraphs, Lord Jesus shall return to judge men and angels at the end of the world. Regarding men, scripture tells us in Acts 10-42, and He commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is He which was ordained of God to be the judge of quick and dead. In Romans 14, 9-10, for to this end Christ both died and rose and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and the living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at naught thy brother?

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ." Regarding angels, Scripture tells us in 2 Peter 2 verse 4, For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness to be reserved unto judgment. And in Jude 6, something similar, and the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Well, hopefully we understand better what Jesus had to do to be our mediator in surety. And all this began way back before the foundations of the world were even laid. God the Father covenanted with God the Son. This was the covenant of redemption.

In this covenant, God the Son willingly undertook to condescend himself to be born of a woman, to take on human flesh, and to live among us. Why would he do such a thing? Why would he willingly agree to live and live a sinless life that must have been hard, then to suffer bodily at the hands of the Jews and the Romans, to be scourged, to be mocked, and then to die on a cross. This is the Son of God dying on a cross. It's not a pleasant way to die.

Why would he do this? He had to do this to be our mediator and our surety. He first had to be born under the law and then live a perfect life, a life lived without sin. In doing so, he satisfied the covenant of works, the perfect obedience to all the law, And by this he opened a way through the covenant of grace for the redemption of those to whom the Father had given him. It is through faith in Christ and only faith in Christ that we have eternal life.

So back to the question, why would he do this? Because he loves us. Because he loves you. Sometimes we forget, sometimes we just get too busy. But know that Jesus is not going to forget.

He knows that you are His and He knows that He loves you. It was not insignificant that the Son of God condescended to be born of a woman. It was huge. As we approach Christmas and we start thinking of the baby Jesus born in a stable in Lillie, Bethlehem, This Christmas season set apart some time to ponder all that Christ, the Son of God, had to voluntarily do for you, for your redemption. We ask why is this paragraph in our confession?

Is it significant? I would say yes, this is humongous. It's fundamental. It brings up all the details of what Christ has done for us, all that he did in the discharge of his office, all for the redemption of his people. He did this all for us because he loved us so much.

It's hard to wrap our minds around such a type of love, especially when none of us deserve it. And I'll end with the same question that I asked last week from Matthew Henry. If this God's plan of redemption be so that God's love is so great to us, what shall we do now for God? Something to think about in the coming week. I really liked Matthew Henry's answer, but you need to answer this question yourself.

Matthew Henry answered, be frequent in prayer, abound in holy duties, and live no more to yourself, but live to Christ. I would ask you to ponder this question frequently as you can as we go through the Christmas season. It's a good thing to meditate and ponder. Amen.