United Church of God

The Mediator

You are here

The Mediator

Downloads
MP4 Video - 1080p (2.12 GB)
MP4 Video - 720p (1.28 GB)
MP3 Audio (20.08 MB)

Downloads

The Mediator

MP4 Video - 1080p (2.12 GB)
MP4 Video - 720p (1.28 GB)
MP3 Audio (20.08 MB)
×

Why do we need a Mediator, and how does Jesus mediate for us with the Father?

Transcript

[Skeets Mez] Let me start by asking every one of you a question, how many of you here have ever been in mediation or the mediator in some action? Anybody ever been in that role did you know of? Okay, we have one. Today we're going to discuss the role of a mediator, and specifically the role of the Mediator, that being Jesus Christ.

So, let me start by starting with a definition, a couple different definitions of what a mediator is. A mediator properly signifies a middleman, a reconciler. So, a mediator must be fitly qualified for this work. A person needs to be very wise for justice and yet greatly inclined to mercy so that he may answer the expectation of each party as far as is necessary.

Another definition is a peacemaking mediator. It is probably the best way to describe the role of a mediator in the reconciliation model. Given the significance of the undertaking, such individuals can be hailed as active heroic promoters of peace in a world of alienation, party passion, and strife.

Another term for mediator can also be reconciler or intercessor. An intercessor is a person who, by calling or by nature, chooses to be a mediator on behalf of those who cannot intervene for themselves. Intercessors make requests, urge, plead, beg, council, discuss, risk, sacrifice, and make war on issues relating to the weaker ones. And thus, they have an impact on the final outcomes of those they serve.

A few years ago, I was working in my office that I shared with another person, the person that I had bought my lawn-maintenance company from. Anyway, while I'm sitting in my office, a deputy sheriff comes into my door and the deputy sheriff says, "I need to talk to you." And so, I said, "Okay." I kind of knew what he was going to talk to me about because the previous owner had started mentioning to my employees that they needed to take care of his mower. When I bought my company, there was a list of equipment that was to go with the mower. And so, for whatever reason, this guy decided that that was still his mower and that I had stolen it. So, anyway, and this happened about 7 months after I had bought the business.

So, this guy comes in and this deputy sheriff starts talking to me and he says, "Well, we have a complaint that you stole this mower from this fellow." And so, I said, "Well, no, that's not the case," and, "if you'll hold on a second, I'll let you talk to my attorney." So, I get on the phone and, thankfully, my attorney actually answered the phone.

And so, the deputy sheriff carried on this conversation with this attorney for about 5 to 7 minutes. And then, when he hung up or gave me the phone back, he goes, "Well, what we have here is a civil matter." As it turns out, the contract specifically stated this list of equipment, and then, it also listed all equipment for lawn maintenance. So, technically, I was correct, even though it wasn't listed.

Well, that's only part of the story, so, this guy didn't give up. But anyway, the fellow that I worked with, his minister heard about the situation and he called me up and said, "Hey, there's one of my congregants and you have this dispute. I will gladly come and be a mediator for you if you would like." And I said, "Well, sure."

So, anyway, we got together, the three of us, the mediator, myself, and the person that I bought the business from. And so, of course, the fellow that I bought the business from says, "Well, that's my mower. It wasn't listed on the sheet." And I said, "Well, that's not exactly the case, but I agree that you left it off the list. But technically it's mine. But, being a reasonable person, I'm willing to work with you about something."

So, the mediator did his job and says, "Technically, you have no right to this lawnmower." And to me, he says, "Technically, it is your lawnmower but he actually left it off the list, so… Is there anything you can do to make this to where he's satisfied and you're still satisfied?"

So anyway, what we did is we came up with a solution. I ended up paying him half of what it was worth. It's settled the matter. But the role of the mediator there was extremely important because there's no way we would've ever been able to reach common ground without that.

Well, so it is true with us in our spiritual life. Let me ask another question, which is, why do we need a Mediator? In Isaiah 64:6, it states, "But we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away." In Romans 3, "There is no one righteous, not even one.” All human beings are sinners by virtue of sin that we commit on a daily basis.

And because of that, God has a dispute with us because of sin. Sin is described, in 1 John 3:4, as transgression of the law of God and rebellion against God, found in Deuteronomy 7:9 and Joshua 1:18. God, the Father, hates all sin and sin stands between us and Him. And the only penalty that is just for sin is death, and that's found in Romans 6:23. Nothing that we could do on our own would be sufficient to mediate between ourselves and God. No amount of good works or law-keeping makes us righteous enough to stand before our holy God.

Now, if you'll turn with me to Job 9, and this was way before Jesus Christ came to earth, Job 9… because Job asks the question. Job 9:1. It's under the title “Job: There Is No Mediator.” "Then Job answered and said: 'Truly I know it is so, but how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand. God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?’" So, we see that Job understood the problem, that none of us are capable of arguing with God.

Then, if we'll drop on down to verse 32, he goes on further, "For He is not a man, as I am, that I may answer Him, and that we should go to court together. Nor is there any mediator between us, who may lay his hand on us both. Let Him take His rod away from me, and do not let dread of Him terrify me. Then I would speak and not fear Him, but it is not so with me."

Now, some of the different translations of the Bible, they may read here, instead of mediator, they may read “umpire, middleman, arbiter, or daysman.” But the New King James has the mediator, which is probably the most accurate.

Now let's turn over to Job 16 because once again Job brings this up. And so, we'll start in Job 16:19. "Surely even now my witness is in heaven, and my evidence is on high. My friends scorn me; my eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, as a man pleads for his neighbor! For when a few years are finished, I shall go the way of no return.” So once again, we see Job showing the need for someone to arbitrate, to mediate between himself and God.

In Exodus 20:19, "Then they said to Moses, 'Speak to us yourself, and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.'" So once again, they show that they want somebody, a mediator between them and God. In Deuteronomy 5:27, "Go near and hear all that the Lord our God says, then speak to us all that the Lord our God speaks to you, and we will hear it and do it."

So, we can see that there is a desire in man to want a mediator, someone between them. Now, the Bible does list people that did mediation. We have the example of Abraham in his discussion about Sodom and Gomorrah. What did he do? He negotiated with God from 50 down to 10, all the while he was trying to get the solution, but as it turned out, it was still of Nod. But he tried, he was a mediator for this cause.

The next example we're going to look at it is found in Exodus. It is found in Exodus 32. And this is the example of the golden calf. And you know the story, while Moses was up on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights, the Israelites decided that Moses wasn't coming back and they were going to build their own god. And so they did. And then Moses came back, and imagine what Moses felt like. But let's look at what Moses said in this example. So, let's start in verse 11. And this is right after the being Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament. So, He had told Moses, "Hey, let me just wipe them out and I'll start anew with you." But look at Moses' response, he's a mediator. What did Moses have to lose? Well, God could've struck him dead right there but Moses was willing to risk that for the sake of all the Israelites. So, starting in verse 11, "Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said, 'Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?'" And if you notice here, Moses isn't claiming any credit in this at all. He's, "God, you're the one that did this."

Verse 12, "Why should the Egyptians speak and say, 'He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom you swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; in all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.” So, as a mediator, Moses was successful in getting God to change His mind.

Now let's drop on down to verse 32. In verse 31, it says, "Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Oh, these people have committed a great sin and have made for themselves a god of gold. Yet now, if you will forgive their sin, but if not, I pray, "Blot me out of your book which you have written.’” And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book. Now, therefore, go lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you.’" So we can see that, in this example, Moses risked all for the sake of this mediation.

We have the example of King David when he took a census of Israel, which God was against, and if you look at what David said, David said, "Bring the punishment on me, not these people." That is the role of a mediator.

Now we see that with Jesus Christ’s death, the role of the New Covenant versus the Old Covenant… we have to remember, and this is where so many religions get it wrong, in Matthew 5:17-20, it says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill." And this was to fill up the loss to its fullest intent and purpose and he became the High Priest. And the ultimate sacrifice, that was both foreshadowed in the law and the prophets, reading on, "For truly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of the letter will pass from the law until all is accomplished."

So, here's an important thing that we must remember, it's an important principle, to properly understand the New Testament, we must understand the Old Testament. The New Testament is not written as a replacement for the Old Testament, rather the Old Testament is the basis, the foundation of the New Testament. And so, in Matthew 5:19, "Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same will be called least by those in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them, will be called great by those in the kingdom of heaven."

So, who is our mediator before God? Of course it’s Jesus Christ, He is the mediator that goes between us and the Father. And we can find this exactly worded in 1 Timothy 2:5, where it says, "For there is one God and one Mediator also between God and men, the Man Jesus Christ." So, we know who that Mediator is. Hebrews 8:6, where Jesus “has now obtained a more excellent ministry, and He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted through better promises.”

Hebrews 7 explains another change from the Sinai Covenant to the New Covenant. Under the Sinai Covenant, the high priest was a physical human, being from the tribe of Levi, he served in the physical tabernacle… or temple, until his death. But Jesus however, born from the tribe of Judah, is now our eternal High Priest, serving in heaven with direct access to God the Father. So we can see, Old Testament, it was "From the tribe of Levi," and then Jesus Christ, from the tribe of Judah, has entered that role as the High Priest. And I'm sure this is something we all know, it shouldn't be news to us. But unlike the high priest under the Old Covenant, Jesus Christ, as High Priest, can personally assist every individual called by God.

So if you remember, in the Old Testament, the things they did, the sacrifices that were made, the priesthood did it and there were certain things they had to do. But now Jesus Christ has direct access that we go to Him, He mediates for us to the Father. What a wonderful difference that is. In Hebrews 8:11, it says, "They will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest." This huge advantage of the New Covenant was not available under the Sinai Covenant with only a physical high priest. And the difference now, even from the Old Covenant, is Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament, came down to earth and He lived the physical life. So, not only did He know it from a spiritual realm, but now, having gone through what you and I go through, He has a perspective that He didn't have from before. So Jesus, although divine and immortal, can still personally identify with our weaknesses and problems because of what He experienced as a human being. And quoting Hebrews 2:17-18, "For this reason, He had to be made like his brothers in every way in order that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service of God because He Himself suffered when He was tempted. And because of that, He is able to help those who are being tempted."

And Hebrews 5:8-9, explains that another way. "Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him." So, as our High Priest, Jesus Christ is willing and eager to help us in our struggles to overcome sin because He went through the physical life, He understands what it's like to be human.

You know, I don't think, this is my personal opinion, I think that we do not understand the full amount of power the Satan the devil exudes on any one of us on any given day. And when you look at what Christ went through and why is God so merciful, when Jesus Christ went through that same… what would you call it? A problem that we have with Satan's spirit trying to get Him to sin. And so, He knows what it's like for each one of us, and therefore, it's a lot easier for Him to explain to God the Father, "Wait, I know this person has this problem but I can understand the influence that Satan has." That's just my opinion but I think that it makes sense.

And because of this reason and because Jesus Christ came and died, it makes Him the best Mediator that we could possibly have. You know, have you ever talked to somebody that was clueless about a problem that you may have had? You know, and then they gave you advice and it's like, "That doesn't make sense." Well, and then you talk to somebody that has been in the same circumstance that you have and they give you advice and it's like, "Wow, that's great advice." Well, so it is with us and Jesus Christ as our Mediator.

I have to admit, our church pastor, Mr. Hoefker, we have an understanding on certain matters. And any of you, if you've owned your own business, would have the same understanding. As a business owner, there are certain things that you go through that maybe if you were never a business owner, you wouldn't understand. But I just have to laugh when I tell Mr. Hoefker something about that happened in my business, not only does he commiserate, he tells his own story that he's had the same experience. Well, so it is with us, with the things we go through in this life. Well, Jesus Christ can tell God the Father, "Okay, I get it, I get it. I understand this." What a wonderful thing that we have because of that Mediator.

Paul describes God's law, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good. But then, He adds, "We know that the law was spiritual, but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin." So we still, even though we have God's Spirit, we still have those struggles that we have to go through.

Jesus Christ taught that the problem that the New Testament solves is the unspiritual responses of man, not some supposed defect in God's law. So God's law remains, and we know that a lot of people in the religions of the world, they don't admit that, they think that it doesn't matter, but the Scripture is very clear on that.

So, now I want to go through a few things that a mediator does. It's from mediate.com, "Roles of the Mediator. The mediator's ultimate role is to do anything and everything necessary to assist parties to reach an agreement. In serving this ultimate end, the mediator may take on any or all of the following traits." So we're going to go through a list of traits and things that a mediator does, but we're not going to discuss in great detail some of them because for the sake of time. The mediator, his role is to be a “Convener: The mediator may assist in contacting the other parties to arrange for an introductory meeting." When we put that in the spiritual realm, what does that mean for us? What does John 6:44 tell us? It says, "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him." So you see, the Father is the one, the Convener, that gets the process started.

His second point is an educator. A mediator is an educator. “The mediator educates the parties about the mediation process, other conflict-resolution alternatives, issues that are typically addressed, options and principles that may be considered, research, court standards, etc."

So what does Jesus Christ do to us? How does Jesus Christ educate us as the Mediator? Well, if you go to Matthew 5, what does Jesus Christ say? In Matthew 5, first, we have the Beatitudes, and then, we have what a mediator would say. Starting in verse 17 through verse 31, and I'm not going to read it I'm just going to cover some of the things. So what does he say? "Don't hate." Right? It says, "Don't hate." It says, "Don't commit mental adultery." Besides committing physical adultery, don't commit mental adultery. He says, "Don't keep sinning." He says, "Don't divorce." He says, "Don't swear oaths." Then He goes on and says, "Go the second mile." In that mediation process, if you've ever been in it, there has to be a certain attitude. And Jesus Christ here starts showing you what that attitude should be. Okay, think about the other guy. Right? Do what the other guy… go a second mile with him, maybe it will resolve this issue, which is exactly what a mediator does.

He goes, "Love your enemies." So many times, when you look at court situations, I mean there's such hate there. Well, if both sides follow God's example, they would never go to court because the hate wouldn't be there. They wouldn't have built it up to this point. So, Christ, as the Mediator, tells each one of us, "Love our enemies." But Christ also, He wants us perfect. You know, this is a summary of what aspects in this chapter. God's goal for each one of us is He wants us to develop the mind of Jesus Christ, Philippians 2:5. For us to have the same understanding and outlook that He has for that to happen, we must have the same trust and deep respect for God's inspired Word that Jesus Christ and Paul had.

When we do have that, those Scriptures become instruments that transform our thinking and behavior, as God intended it. If we internalize them with the enabling help and power of God's Spirit, that's how we get to that point. And Jesus Christ helps with that.

The next point that they bring out is a “Communication Facilitator: The mediator seeks to ensure that each party is fully heard in the mediation process.” You know, when we read the Lord's Prayer, it tells us how we're to communicate with the Father. So, here we have the Mediator saying, "Okay, this is how you do it. This is how you talk to God the Father," that's found in Matthew 6:9-13.

The next thing that a mediators should do is he is a translator. “When necessary, the mediator can help by rephrasing or reframing communications so that they are better understood and received.” So, in a mediation, there may be terms that are used that you're unfamiliar with. And so, the job of the mediator is to say, "Okay, well, this is what this means. This is what the word is but this is really what it means." Because, you know, especially if you've ever dealt with one in a situation where you have attorneys on both sides and, you know, you're there, they're speaking a foreign language, they can speak Greek, but the mediator's job is to say, "Okay. Now, this is what he's saying in common layman's language, and this is what he's saying. Now, do you understand?" And so, so it is with Jesus Christ. He is the communication, He is the translator.

In Romans 8:26-27, let's turn there because this is important. Romans 8:26-27. So this is helping the interpreter. Remember we're talking about the translator here? "Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered." So, in other words, we have this help that we don't even understand but it's working on our behalf. “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." So, when we look at what does this mean for us, how important is this for us, when we may say a simple prayer and Jesus Christ elaborates on it to the sake of the Father?

And then, it's followed by verse 28, "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." So this Mediator, if we put our faith in the Mediator, He's going to make it right and we have to understand that.

Here's another version of that, "In the same way the Spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray for but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit because the Spirit intercedes for God's people in accordance with the will of God."

And let's drop on down to verse 34 because this is also very helpful and was something we can be thankful for. "Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." So, another version here, "Who then will condemn us? No one, for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life, for us and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us."

The next role is one of a questioner and a clarifier. When you look at Jesus Christ's entire ministry, He talked about clarifying things that were taught in the Old Testament. He made things clear so that each one of us could understand. The mediator probes issues and confirms understandings to ensure that the participants and the mediator have a full understanding. And that's what God wants us to do, He wants us to study His word so that we get a clear understanding of what He wants from us. It's there but we have to study it, we have to use God's Spirit to see what He wants.

Also, a mediator is a process adviser. “The mediator comes to be trusted to suggest procedures for making progress in mediation discussions, which may include caucus meetings, consultation with outside legal counsel and consultation with substantive experts.” We have a process advisor, right? When you think about it, this book is the process advisor that, if we read it, it helps us know what the process is. It helps us to understand God's plan. The book reveals these things that we all need.

The mediator also, and this is the term they use, is an “Angel of Realities: The mediator may exercise his or her discretion to play devil's advocate with one or both parties as to the practicality of solutions they are considering or the extent to which certain options are consistent with the participants’ stated goals, interests and positive interactions.”

I have to admit that, at one time, quite a few years ago, I was involved in a lawsuit. And in most lawsuits, there is a required mediation before it ever goes to court. In the mediation that I was in, there was my attorney present. In another room, there was the attorneys for the other party. And they hired a mediator to come in. His job was to get us to some kind of resolution without having to go to court. So, in our case, the mediator played the devil's advocate on both sides. He would come into our room where we were at and he would lay it out. And then, he would go to the other room and he would lay out the odds. And both of us were saying, "Okay," and this is what our attorneys had said, "anytime you go to court, it's a jump ball in a basketball tournament. There's no telling what the outcome can be. You may think you're so right but the end may not be what you want." So the mediator goes, "Okay, is it better to take your chances to win it all or lose it all, or is it better to work out some kind of a solution that both of you can live with?"

And so, in our case, the mediator got the other party to agree to the contract that they had originally made with us. And they made our side realize, "Hey, there's always this risk, if you go to court, that you could lose this." So that's how they did it, and we were able to resolve the issue. But the next step would've been going to court.

Well, does Jesus Christ do that for us? Well, sure He does. Right? He says, "If you obey me, this is what will happen. If you turn your back on me…" What's going to happen, right? So Jesus Christ does that for us. He is the angel of realities to us too. Let's turn to Hebrews 10. One thing I found through mediation is you have to make sure that you're not stubborn. Stubborn is not a good quality in mediation. And if you look, every day it's on the news, and you look at all the things that are going on, what is it? It's stubbornness most of the time, "Well, I'm not going to do that." Well, but that's why they also have the mediation. About 90% of all lawsuits are decided by mediation, so it's very effective. And if you notice, when you buy that stereo and you have that 20-page contract that you never read? And right there towards the end, you agree to binding arbitration. Right? Well, there's a reason why they have that, it keeps the cost way down.

Hebrews 10:19, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of God, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much more as you see the Day approaching."

And then, this is very sobering and this is something that we have to consider, this is a warning from the angel of realities, "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, and a fiery indignation which will devour the adversaries. Anyone who has rejected Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God." So here we have the mediator given us this warning. He said, "Don't do this. If you do this, this is what's going to happen."

The mediator can also be a “Catalyst: By offering options for consideration, stimulating new perspectives and offering reference points for consideration, the mediator serves as a stimulant for the parties reaching an agreement.” The next thing that they also say is that the mediator is a "Responsible Detail Person: The mediator manages and keeps track of all the necessary information, he writes up the parties' agreement, and may assist the parties to implement their agreement.”

Now, if you'll turn over to Hebrews 4:14, "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold our confessions. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in times of need.” Jesus Christ knows our plight. He knows what we're dealing with.

Now let's turn over to Hebrews 8. And we're going to read verses 1 and 2. "Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man." So we don't have this middle man, we're right at the top. How many times you've heard it said, "You can't get things done until you go right to the top." Well, guess what, we have access right to the top.

And now dropping on down to verse 6. "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also a Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then no place would've been sought for a second. Because finding fault with them, He says: ‘Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they did not continue in My covenant, and I disregarded them, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor, and none his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.’ In that He says 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away."

And in 1 John 2:1, we're told that “we have an Advocate with the Father.” In Hebrews 7:25, we're told, "Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them."

Now, there's one thing about a mediator. A mediator has a usual time set for him to work. He has to finish this mediation in a certain amount of time. And if he doesn't get the job done, then here comes the judge basically, here comes the court. Jesus Christ, our Mediator, also has a set time. We can see that in Revelation. We also can see that in 1 Corinthians 15. So, if you turn over to 1 Corinthians 15:25-28, "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For ‘He has put all things under His feet.’ But when He says ‘all things are put under Him,’ it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who puts all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

So we can see that the role of the mediator only lasts so long if its resolutions are not met, then comes the judge and the judgment. A mediator whose mediation is rejected after long patience leaves the offending person open to the severity of the law. Well, so it is with Jesus Christ. We have that opportunity now, we have that Mediator now, but we also know what the end result is if we refuse to follow the help from the Mediator.

If you'll turn over to Revelation 22… and let's start in verse 12. And it says, “'And behold, I am coming quickly and My reward is with Me, to give every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.’ Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city." So that's the one side of the New Covenant. In verse 15, "But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. ‘I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify that I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.'"

So the choice is up to us. You know, if we want to put the New Testament… or the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, in basic common language, the Old Covenant, if you looked at it, was like the judicial system we have now. If you're going down the road and you get caught speeding, you're fined. In the Old Testament, the fines were listed, spelled out, turtledoves and sheep. And if you really sin big, you know, you had bullocks, up to so many bullocks. That's the way it was. There was the law and the application of the law.

When Jesus Christ came, Jesus Christ said, "Okay, we're going to have a New Covenant here. I've paid those fines for you. But now you have a choice. Here's the way for you to live. I will help you go down the road, but if you choose not to obey Me, then here is what the outcome is." So it's not a fine system, it is a system of, "This is the way I walk you in it. If you don't walk in it, this is going to be the result. Now you have a choice. I will help you any way I can but it's still up to you, you have to do it." To me, in simplistic terms, that's what it's about. But the advantage that we have now is we have someone, a being up there with God the Father that will help us do all these things. It's up to us to use that resource and follow that resource to get the results that we want and that God wants us to have.