In the sermon titled 'Of Christ the Mediator,' Eric Bechler discusses the unique and non-transferable role of Christ as the sole mediator between God and man, emphasizing His fulfillment of the roles of prophet, priest, and king. The sermon references the second London Baptist confession and highlights the necessity of a mediator due to humanity's sinful nature inherited from Adam's fall. Christ, as the prophet, priest, and king, fulfills these Old Testament roles, being the final and sufficient prophet, a high priest who offered Himself as a sacrifice once for all, and the eternal king whose kingdom will never end. The sermon stresses that Christ's mediatorial role cannot be delegated to saints or Mary, refuting the idea that others can intercede on our behalf. It emphasizes that only Christ, being fully God and fully man, can bear the punishment for sin and intercede for humanity. The speaker challenges listeners to examine their lives to ensure Christ is their sole king and authority, urging them to live in His power and love.

A reading today from the second London Baptist confession comes again from chapter eight of Christ the Mediator. Today is paragraph nine. This office of mediator between God and man is proper only to Christ who is the prophet, priest, and king of the church of God and may not be either in whole or any part thereof transferred from him to any other. We continue again with our focus on Christ the mediator. Again, why do we need a mediator or a go-between?

The New England primer tells us in Adam's fall we send all. You're probably tired of me saying that, but it's a good reminder. Because of Adam's disobedience, we, each one of us, have his sinful nature and are separated from God. We need a mediator to reconcile us to God, But this cannot be just anyone. Christ is the only one that can be that mediator between God and man.

Each week we are touching on the different reasons why this is so. Last week we focused on limited atonement or also described as definite atonement. The main point of our paragraph today is that there is only one mediator, Jesus Christ, and this role, either partially or wholly may not be delegated or transferred to anyone else. But it also speaks of Christ as prophet, priest, and king of the Church of God, which I'd like to touch on briefly. As we read through the Old Testament, it's filled with prophets, priests, and kings, each function being done by separate individuals, some even specific tribes.

But the prophets, priests, and kings of the Old Testament were only types and shadows of what was to come, pointing us to Christ, the Redeemer yet to come. So how do we see Christ in these functions? John describes Jesus in these terms in Revelation 1.5, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood. We see him as the faithful witness as a prophet, the firstborn of the dead as a priest and the ruler of the kings on earth is king. The prophet indicted the people for their sins, Isaiah 1, 2 through 9, and called them to repentance.

The prophet declared forgiveness. Jesus, as the final and sufficient prophet, has done all these for us. He came not just proclaiming the word of God, He is the word of God. He came to the world because of sin. He proclaimed our need to repent and believe on Him, and He proclaimed our pardon and forgiveness for sin.

The priests served as mediators between man and God, specifically coming from the tribe of Levi. Christ, being our one mediator, is also our high priest. But unlike the high priest of the Old Testament, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins and then for the sins of the people. For this high priest sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. Hebrew 727.

There were many kings of the people of Israel, most of them wicked, most of them led the people away from God to the gods of their neighbors. The monarchy was established for the peace, prosperity, and welfare of the nation of Israel. The angel Gabriel told Mary that Jesus will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. His kingdom will never end in Luke 1 32 and 33.

Jesus conquered sin and death and has all authority in heaven and earth. He has the name that is above every name. Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Now back to the main point of our paragraph today that the role of mediator either partially or wholly may not be delegated or transferred to anyone else. As the one mediator between God and man it is necessary for him to be fully man and perfectly righteous or sinless.

It's necessary for him to be fully God, able to bear the eternal wrath of the punishment due our sins. Only our incarnate Lord meets these criteria, But we also see that the mediator functions as prophet, priest, and king. These are not three separate offices but are the varied activities of the one office of mediator. If we turn to the body for an analogy, we can see the nervous system, the circulatory system, the digestive system, all working together to keep the body alive. Each is distinct, Yet they are interdependent with each other to sustain life.

A.W. Pink states, the exercise of this threefold function of the mediatorial office was requisite for the complete deliverance of Christ's people by the circumstances in which the fall had placed them. In other words, the moral condition in which they lay as sinners makes it evident that not one of the three branches of his mediatorial office could be dispensed with. But can this mediatorial office be delegated, relegated, abrogated, divided and shared or even transferred? Who would be worthy?

Who can meet the requirements like Jesus? Are there any who are sinless, who are perfectly righteous? No, no one but Jesus. Is there anyone who can atone for our sins, remove our guilt? No, No one but Jesus.

Is there anyone who can free us from the bondage of sin? Yeah, no. No one but Jesus. Is there anyone other than God that can bear the weight of the eternal wrath do our punishments? Again, no.

Only the incarnate Lord Jesus. Paul tells us directly, for there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus in 1st Timothy 2.5. He leaves no doubt that Christ and only Christ is the one unique mediator between God and man interceding for us even now. Scripture tells us in Romans 8 34 that Christ is at the right hand of God interceding for us. In Hebrews 727, we read, He always lives to intercede for them the saved.

We also find that the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers. From Romans 826, likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. There are some who look to Mary or to other saints in heaven to intercede for us. Some would argue that union with God gives the saints in heaven the ability to hear the prayers of others so that they can intercede for us as well. We don't know a lot about what happens in heaven.

Maybe the saints in heaven can hear the prayers of someone they knew, maybe not. We can only speculate. But can they hear the millions of prayers happening all at once like God does. We must be really careful in that line of thinking. When believers die and join Christ in glory, our union with God doesn't make us God.

We won't know all that He knows. We won't be omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent. We won't have any other God-like qualities. Fundamentally by going to others you are insinuating that Jesus is not enough, that Jesus might not be able to handle it. We don't need to pray to anyone else.

Paul writes in Ephesians 312, because of Christ and our faith in him, we can now come boldly and confidently into God's presence. With Christ, we need no others to intercede in our behalf, even those who live in heaven. We sang earlier, who felt the nails upon his hands, bearing all the guilt of sinful man, God eternal, humbled to the grave. Jesus, Savior, now to reign, behold our God, come let us adore Him. Yes, let us adore Him and no other.

AW Pink offers us a challenge. If Christ is not my King in a practical way, then no matter what my profession, I am a rebel against him. Can I truly say his will is my law, his word my rule of life, his scepter is the authority I own? Can I truthfully say other Lords besides you have had dominion over me? But henceforth I own no other king but you, no rule but yours.

Bring forth the royal diadem and crown him in your heart and life, Lord of all. I Would encourage you to take some time this week to ponder these questions I know that we all have too much to do but in ten years from now It's unlikely you'll remember any of these important things you did this week So take time to examine how you spend your time. Examine what or who are your priorities. How are you behaving when no one is looking? Is there someone, something in your life squeezing out God, taking dominion over you?

These questions are for me to think about as well. I'm not always so good at it and I need to be better. Let's encourage one another to this end. Let us strive together to put Christ as our Lord of all. If you were like me, you might feel maybe a bit disappointed at some of your answers, maybe frustrated or even depressed.

Why can't I do better? Why is this so hard? Turn to Christ and remember that he as prophet can dispel the darkness the darkness of your understanding and bring that light into your situation and remember that he is prophet can dispel the darkness excuse me can dispel you know the darkness of your understanding said that Remember that Christ as priest has atoned for your sins and remember that Christ as King has delivered you from the bondage of sin. I'll remind you of some words we sang last week. No guilt in life, no fear in death.

This is the power of Christ in me. No power of hell, no scheme of man can ever pluck me from His hand. Here in the power of Christ I'll stand. Here in the love of Christ I'll stand. And here in the death of Christ I'll live.

Amen. You you