Sermon Cloud

Christ: The Mediator of All Things

John 1:3

Grace Fellowship Church

September 27, 2009

Series 6 Sermon 2

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.  9 The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

Introduction

We live in a day where some pastors and theologians want to be coy about certain doctrines.  They want to have what some call a humble orthodoxy where you are willing to hedge on certain biblical teachings to accommodate a different perspective. It does not matter how different or unbiblical this so called brother or sister in Christ views things and understands things the one who has a so called humble orthodoxy will accept that person regardless of their rank heresy. 

John writes in his second epistle in the only chapter in verses 7-11 this warning.

7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist. 8 Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward. 9 Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, 11 for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.

No matter if you are orthodox and humble, a person who has denied Scripture and is a deceiver should be treated as such.  They are not to be treated as a brother or sister in Christ and the reason for this is because they are not.  One of the greatest battles of our day from a biblical and scientific standpoint is the understanding of the origin of the universe and all that it contains.  And much pseudo-science has come about that denies the biblical account of creation and many so called brothers and sisters in Christ have plunged headlong into the abyss of evolution. 

The problem is that modern science is backward.  They attempt to find answers to age old questions apart from the wisdom and Word of the God who called all things into existence.  Did you know that theology was once called the Queen of the sciences?  At European universities and early American universities no matter what you went to university to study you learned theology first.  The thinking was correct.  If God exists and He ordained the universe what we first must do is come to grips with what He has said in His Word about Himself which is ultimate truth and all other truth will flow from there.  So if you were going to be a lawyer you studied theology first.  You came to know the law giver so you could better understand truth and justice.  A scientist learned theology before biology.  The same could be said for any other profession.  It started with good solid theology. 

And let me say a word about educating our children.  Your children may receive the finest instruction but if that instruction is not rooted and founded in the queen of the sciences then you have done your child a disservice.  Sure, the world does not operate that way and scientists today do not operate that way for the most part but what does that have to do with your children?  I hope that in your job you do not operate like the pagan who works with you or beside you either.  No one said Christianity was easy. 

But let’s go back to the problem of origins.  Science today believes in many theories.  There is the big bang where nothing exploded into something and from the chaos of the explosion the orderly universe came into existence then over billions of years species of plants and animals evolved from primordial ooze that somehow ejected a microscopic organism from itself accidentally.  And then with no purpose or reason animals and plants evolved from that and populated the earth for no apparent reason.  It was all an accident.  None of it has meaning and according to the mythological geniuses that thought this fairy tale up it all will end back up at nothing. 

This is the best modern science can do because modern science has set aside the queen of the sciences, theology. And sadly many so called Christians are carried off into this error by smooth talking deceivers who just want them to be happy atheists like themselves.  Let me tell you how happy an atheist can be.  He or she lives their lives only to make themselves happy.  So in the wake of their own personal happiness many lives are destroyed and some innocent people killed because if life is all about my personal happiness then a few toes and heads need to be stepped on in the process.  They live, they eat and they die.  Kind of like a chicken that will one day soon be butchered only to end up in someone’s oven.  Folks, now that is true happiness and self fulfillment. 

According to the atheistic evolutionist since all things that exist are a cosmic accident I am too and therefore nothing that I do has any meaning what so ever.  So do what makes me happy as long as I am alive because tomorrow I may just be a part of the great cosmic energy again which I will not even be aware of.  This is ultimate happiness.  And if I am a strong atheist then I can be the happiest one and if a few folks lose their wealth or lives to benefit my happiness then so be it.  Now is all that matters.  Do you see the long range implications of wrong thinking? 

Here are the biblical facts no matter what you believe.  In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  These are the first words that God uttered to sinful humanity.  They are a reminder of who is really in control and who orders all things in the universe.  It is He that has made us and not we ourselves the Psalmist sings.  And this same God who created all things will one day call all His creatures to give an account for their lives and they will either spend an eternity with this same God in Heaven or they will spend an eternity separated from God in Hell. 

And the atheist can try all they want to get around the truth of the Word of God but they can not deny the law of God any more than they can deny and defy the law of gravity on earth. 

So the question begs to be asked and answered.  Can a person be a Christian and deny what the Bible teaches about creation?  Why don’t we let the Bible answer that question.  If you will recall about a year and a few months ago we were studying Hebrews and we made it to chapter 11.  The writer of Hebrews in that chapter gave us a treatise on what real saving faith looked like.  And do you remember what he began the treatise with?  Listen to Hebrews 11:1-3.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the people of old received their commendation. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.

Listen to 1 Corinthians 8:6.

6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.

When the Apostle Paul was in Athens and he addressed the Areopagus he laid down the gauntlet immediately.  Listen to what he said in Acts 17:22-25.

22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: “Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. 23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, 25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.

What the writer of Hebrews and the Apostle Paul say and is witnessed by the other apostles is that one can not have saving faith and deny the first chapters of the Bible.  If we will call ourselves Christians then the dividing wall from those who are false converts would have to begin with creation.  And what I would like to show you this morning is how important the creation account is to the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Context

Last week we began our study of John’s Gospel.  We saw that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Word in verses 1 and 2 and that He is eternal and that He is fully God.  We came face to face with the deity and the eternality of the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity.  The section of John that we are in is his introduction or what is commonly called the prologue.  Most divide John’s Gospel into four sections.  Chapter 1:1-18 is the introduction or the prologue.  Chapter 1:19 through the end of chapter 12 is called the Book of Signs.  In that section John gives us seven signs that prove what he tells us in the Prologue.  Chapter 13 through the end of chapter 20 is called the Book of Glory.  It begins with the Lord preparing His disciples for His crucifixion and ends with Thomas’s confession of Christ as Lord and God and then the purpose statement in John 20:30-31.  Those verses say:

30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

Chapter 21 is the Epilogue.

Today we will remain in the prologue and try to unpack what John desired for his original readers to understand and hopefully get some application for us today.

In the opening of the introduction I showed you that one can not rightly call themselves a Christian and deny what the Bible says about creation.  The Bible does not teach evolution.  It does not teach Theistic evolution.  The Bible teaches that God made the world and all that is in it in six literal days.  These were not epics of time because the Hebrew language has the ability to say just that.  These were six literal days.  So set your mind at ease.  Let me tell you also that science will never prove nor disprove these six literal days.  These are not reproducible events.  These are miraculous acts of God.  So trust the Scripture.  The Scripture has proven its authenticity over and over again.  Science done apart from the queen of sciences has only proven its consistent inconsistencies.    

So why make this point so strongly in the prologue of John?  It is because of the direction that John is taking us.  His desire for us and his purpose for us is to believe that Jesus is the Christ and by believing we may have life in His name.  That last phrase is so important here.  Eternal salvation is in His name or in Christ alone.  And that is exactly where John is taking us. 

PNP

We are going to take two weeks to look at John 1:3-5.  In this part of the prologue of John we find two very important areas over which Christ is the mediator. 

1.  Christ is the mediator of all creation.

2.  Christ is the mediator of all life including eternal life. 

This morning we will attempt to unpack the first area and that is creation and flesh out some implications of this truth. 

Purpose

What is my purpose in doing this?  I want you to understand how important it is to believe the Bible’s account of creation.  Because if the biblical account of creation is not true then these verses are not true either and we are people to be most pitied.  Christ must be the mediator of all things in order for us to have eternal salvation.  Otherwise the hedonistic atheist may be right and we should bulldoze anyone and everyone who gets in the way of our personal happiness as we speed headlong into absolute nothingness.  But the Genesis account is true and these verses are true and because they are my purpose today is to show you some implications of this wonderful mediatory work of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

PNP

 So look with me at the first of these two very important areas over which Christ is the mediator. 

1.  Christ is the mediator of all creation.

Notice with me verse 3.

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Notice again the first phrase.  All things were made through him….

The KJV says “by him.”  The Greek word that is being translated here “by” or “through” is “dia.”  “By” is a perfectly fine translation of that in certain instances.  But here the better translation is “through.”  The reason this is so important is because this signifies the start of Christ’s mediatory work. 

Often we as Christians appeal to Hebrews 7:25 where we find Christ seated at the right hand of the Father making intercession or mediating for us to the Father.  And that is fine but that is not where Christ’s mediation starts.  It goes back further than that.  It goes back to creation itself. 

So what does it mean that all things were made through Him?  It means just that.  All things were made through Him.  Look at verse 3 again.     

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The testimony of the New Testament is that Christ is the mediator of all creation.  Listen to Hebrews 1:1-2.

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Listen to Colossians 1:16.

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

Now look down at John 1:10.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Now I want us to wrap our minds around what John is saying.  When we ask our kids the very first catechism question we get a very simple answer.  The question is, “Who made you?”  And the kids answer, “God made me.”  Which is very true.  God did make them.  But there was a process in the act of creation that you may have been previously unaware of. 

In creation God the Father speaks or commands and God the Son, the mediator of creation, creates.  This does not in any way diminish the deity of the Son but rather proves it.  The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has the divine ability to create.  And when we understand this truth the creation account comes into sharper focus for us.  What we discover is that there is a Trinitarian conversation taking place in the creation account of Genesis 1. 

Hold your place in John 1 and I want you to turn to Genesis 1 and see this divine conversation taking place between the Father and the Son.  There is a pattern that flows throughout the verses.  The pattern is this. God speaks and the Son accomplishes and the Father says that it was good.  Notice starting in Genesis 1 at verse 6.

6 And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

Look starting in verse 14.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

Now look at verse 26 and following and see this all very clearly.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Here is the pattern.  The Father commands and the Son mediates and accomplishes what He knows to be the Father’s will.  It is perfect harmony. 

The Lord Jesus tells us this in John’s Gospel.  You can turn or listen to John 5:19-20.

19 So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.

So Christ is the mediator of all creation.  It was at the command of God the Father that God the Son created all things and now at the command of God the Father, the Son holds all things together.  Colossians 1:17 says:

17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Folks, this is absolute undiminished authority from the Father that Jesus Christ has.  This is absolute authority over creation because He created it. Let me illustrate this from Scripture.  I want you to listen to Mark 4:35-41.

35 On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 36 And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 37 And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 38 But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 39 And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 41 And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

Why is it that the Lord Jesus could turn water into wine?  How could He give sight to a man born blind?  How could He call Lazarus from the grave when he had been dead for four days?  How could He on the third day get up from His own grave and live again?

Look at verse 3 again.

3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Because He is God and He is the mediator and the Lord of all creation.

Not one single star in the heavens blinks without His okay.  He commands the comets to go where they go.  He sustains the earth and allows life to continue to dwell here.  He steers the hurricanes and the tornadoes.  He allows the rain to fall and they all follow His command.  He tells the earth what temperature to go to today.  And if He were to cease to be the mediator and sustainer of all creation then the universe would cease to exist.  It is through Him and by Him that all things are and all things remain. 

In other words He is sovereign over all.  He is sovereign over the untold number of galaxies in our universe right down to the smallest microscopic organism.  There is absolutely nothing outside of His control.  Listen to Psalm 24:1.

The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

If Psalm 24 is true and John 1:3 is true then there are some very important implications here for us.  If all authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to the Son and the world was created through Him and for Him and He is the rightful owner of the world and all its inhabitants then we who know the Son of God as Lord and Savior are under obligation to broadcast the name of the Owner throughout His property.  Christ is bringing and will bring all creation under His complete authority in His timing.  And that time has already been set and appointed by the Father and one day the Father will say to the Son just as He did in creation, go and do this, and the Son will accomplish this.  I want you to listen to Acts 3:19-21.

19 Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, 20 that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, 21 whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.

Acts 17 says that in light of creation and the coming of Christ the Lord has commanded all men everywhere to repent.  In the great commission the Lord Jesus states plainly that all authority has been given to Him in heaven and on earth and that we His disciples and children are to go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel and teach the nations the Word of the Lord.  When you are baptized you are stating publicly that you are acknowledging who your rightful owner is and who your Lord is.  All things will be brought into subjection to Christ. 

This is why the Bible says that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and that will be glory to the Father.  So as Christians we are under obligation to proclaim the glorious Gospel in all the world, to every tribe and every tongue and every nation.  So why are we so timid about it? 

If the earth is the Lord’s and everything and everyone in it and He ultimately will reconcile all things to Himself whether that be in judgment or in eternal life then we should boldly proclaim the Gospel to people.  We should be meek and mild but fearless in proclaiming the only true God and His Son whom He sent. 

The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it and until everyone repents and believes the Gospel then they are trespassers.  Understanding that Christ is sovereign over all creation is helpful in understanding the sayings of Christ. 

How can anyone say that He is the way, the Truth, and the life and no one comes to the Father except through Him if He is not Lord of all Creation?  And the answer is he can’t unless He is sovereign over creation. 

How can anyone say to a lame man, “Take up your bed and walk” if He is not the Creator of that person?  The list can go on and on and in John it will go on seven times in the upcoming chapters. 

But there is not only responsibility in properly understanding verse 3 there is also great comfort.

I want you to listen to John 10:28-30.

28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

Because Christ is the mediator of all creation He has all authority and I want to give you three comforts of that truth.

1. Because Christ is Lord of creation He has authority to give eternal life to whom He chooses.  That is what John 10:28 starts off with.  “I give them eternal life….”  If I walk up to you and I say to you, “I give you eternal life” that means absolutely nothing.  I can not give you anything other than what I own.  If Christ is the creator of all things then He can rightly say “I give them eternal life.”  Because it is His to give to whomever He chooses. 

If I have a billion dollars and I decide to give it away I have every right to give it to whomever I choose to give it to.  Not too long ago the younger Hilton family was written out of the will of Grandpa Hilton because he did not like their lifestyle.  When he dies his money goes where he says it goes and the younger Hilton clan can’t say a word about it to change it because it was Grandpa Hilton’s money.  He has the authority. 

And Christ has the authority to give eternal life because He is eternal and the giver of life. 

2.  Because Christ is the Lord of creation we have comfort in death.  Again John 10:28 says that the Christ gives us eternal life and we shall never perish.  Folks, this is great comfort.  The Lord of all has said that those who trust in Him for salvation will never perish but have eternal life.  When we close our eyes in death here we will open them to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ precisely because He has all authority and is the sovereign Creator.  We may fear dying but as Christians we should never fear death.  Our death is the beginning of eternal life. 

3.  Because Christ is Lord of creation we have comfort in eternity.  The Lord Jesus said in John 10:28-30 that He holds those whom He has given eternal life in His hand and no one can snatch them out of His hand because the Father has given us to Him and no one could snatch us out of the Father’s hand and besides all that, He and the Father are One.  And in their Oneness they have decided to give eternal life, keep their people from perishing, and to make them eternally secure in Christ. 

Conclusion

Do you trust in Christ alone for your salvation?  Have you given up trying to earn salvation through good works?  Have you stopped trying to live up to an unbiblical standard that you think God will accept you because of and come as a little child to Christ trusting in Him completely for all things?  He is Lord of creation and the mediator of creation and therefore He is Lord of all and we are under obligation to repent of our sins and trust in Him alone for salvation. Think about this.  The Lord of all came to earth and lived a sinless life and died a criminals death to give eternal life.  He paid for our sins and secured our inheritance by His death and resurrection.  The Lord of all has overcome death and hell and has made the only way for sinful humanity to be saved.  Do you believe in Him this morning?  Have you stopped trusting in yourself and started trusting in Christ?  He is our only hope but He is the most sure anchor to which we must hold. 

Let’s pray.