Prayer of the Mediator

I remember in elementary and high school back in the Philippines. On subject, English, we were tasked to write formal and non-formal theme. It's usually more than just one paragraph. The hardest thing to write is always the first sentence. After that, everything is almost automatic.

To Jesus, after long hours of silence, the first words were easy. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. Luke 23:34 NIV

Things we can learn from Jesus's first word

 

Live by His Words.

Considering what He taught His disciples long before this moment, Jesus is living by His own words.

On forgiveness.

"And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:25 NIV

 

On anger.

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, "Raca," is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, "You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of hell. Matthew 5:22 NIV

 

On reconciliation.

²³“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, ²⁴leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23-24 NIV

 

On saving.

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10 NIV

 

Jesus did not let hatred and anger rule His heart, nor did He let it cloud His mission (to save mankind). He stayed on His mission even while suffering. As truthful as He is to His own teachings, His first words during His suffering on the cross were, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

He was determined to save the unsaved.

 

Intercede for the unsaved.

Regardless of one's background, status in life, or view of who Jesus is, everyone deserves a chance to salvation. Remember, Jesus came so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life."

Consider the people whom at that time, He was mediating for.

 

The witnesses.

People who witnessed (and perhaps received) miracles done by Jesus. Because of what's at stake, none of them were able to do anything for Jesus. At that time, whoever reacts against what was happening will also be crucified. It's a suicide to go against it.

 

The soldiers.

People who are just doing their job. They have no idea what was happening in respect to salvation.

 

The conspirators.

These are ones who planned to kill Jesus. They have been waiting for this day. When at least they thought, they will finally silence Jesus. (Of course from our point of view, we know what happened)

 

Jesus prayed on behalf of them all, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”

To Him, it was clear, "they do not know what they are doing."

As ones who once did not know what they were doing, we must trust the Mediator, Jesus.

 

Trust in the Mediator.

We must not just trust. We must FULLY trust Jesus Christ.

He is the only qualified mediator between God and man.

⁵For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶who gave himself as a ransom for all people. This has now been witnessed to at the proper time. 1 Timothy 2:5-6 NIV

Back in heaven, He is interceding for us.

Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Romans 8:34 NIV

This is how consistent He is. Whether in the form of a man or of a God, He intercedes on our behalf.

This is our God, our Savior! His name is JESUS!

Jesus has always been and will always be our only way to heaven. He is our redemption.

Our role as His followers is to share to others the Good News that He is THE WAY.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 14:6 NIV

He held on to this role even when it was not easy.

He exemplified what He taught us in John 16:33.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV

 

Protection From Division

Christ's sufficiency covers even our reason for remaining united. We can express different opinions without tearing each other apart.

 

What binds us (Jesus Christ) should always be stronger than what might divide us (anything other than Jesus Christ).

The Word of the Lord says,

¹⁷I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. ¹⁸For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. ¹⁹Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. ²⁰The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:17-20 NIV

I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments. Colossians 2:4 NIV

If you think about it, there has always been attempts to twist the truthfulness of God's Word.

What can possibly protect us from division?

Fear of the Lord.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. Proverbs 9:10 NIV

People who love the Lord, but do not fear Him fall into temptation. Those who have experienced backsliding, as they gave in to temptation, they still love the Lord. What they lost was fear of the Lord.

Let us look at this event that happened in the first century.

¹Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. ²With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet. Acts 5:1-2 NIV

What Ananias and Sapphira lost was not their love for God, but the fear of the Lord. They thought that giving only a portion of what they promised was enough. They must have thought the Lord would not mind. Yet, it was about love of money, which kills one's fear of the Lord.

Consider this. Married men or married women who commit adultery did not necessarily lose their love for their spouse, but the fear of it's effect on their relationship. They may even express their love for their legal spouse, but still commit things that endangers their relationship. That is how love and fear differ in function to a relationship.

Those who rebel against God and His church did not lose their love for God, they even put up their own church as a proof of that love. What they lost is the fear of the Lord whose Word teaches us to keep away from those who cause division.

For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Romans 16:18 NIV

Sure, we love the Lord because He first loved us, but that does not mean we should not fear the Lord. Our fear of Him keeps us grounded to Him as the One who deserves reverence and worship, helping us stay away from division, and loving unity with our fellow believers.

As the verse says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Therefore, we need wisdom from the spirit.

Wisdom from the Spirit.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. John 14:26 NIV

The Holy Spirit gives wisdom.

The Apostle Paul instructs the believers in Rome to be wise of what is good.

¹⁹Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. Romans 16:19 NIV

Obedience is good. No doubt about it. God desires it from His people. But be obedient and wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil. This means do good things, not evil.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8 NIV

Identify them but know what to do and what not to.

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves." Matthew 10:16 NIV

One of the proofs that our wisdom is from the Holy Spirit is that we desire to gain knowledge of the Word.

3. Knowledge of the Word.

¹⁶All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 NIV

This we know about the main source of division:

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you. Romans 16:17-20 NIV

It is the Bible that tells us that. Spend time studying God's Word.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Ephesians 5:6 NIV

Here is the thing though:

Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 NIV

You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. James 2:19 NIV

A person who has a genuine knowledge of the Word knows how to live by the Word. It is our guide as we live.

God's Word teaches us to be united, not divided.

As believers of Jesus, we choose to remain united through His Word, abhorring division.

²²I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— ²³I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. John 17:22-23 NIV

³⁴“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:34-35 NIV

 

Delight in the Lord

 

Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NIV

 While the Bible teaches, the heart is the most deceptive of all,

The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? Jeremiah 17:9 NIV

God will give its desires IF we "take delight in Him."

 There is no way we can fake delighting in Him because He knows all things - even those that are hidden from anyone's sight. He looks at our hearts.

A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart. Proverbs 21:2 NIV

¹²For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. ¹³Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. Hebrews 4:12-13 NIV

So when we say,

"Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4 NIV

we can safely say that if we give God what we have, He can turn it into something great!

Imagine, even the most deceitful of all things, our heart can receive its desires IF we delight in the Lord!

God can make miracles with what we have IF we give it to Him.

 

Things we can learn from delighting in the Lord:

 

God's capable hands make the impossible possible.

Do not be afraid of having just a little because nothing is too small in the hands of God.

In John 6:1-13, Jesus fed the five thousand from a boy's 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and had some left over.

¹¹ Jesus then took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. He did the same with the fish. ¹² When they had all had enough to eat, he said to his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted.” ¹³ So they gathered them and filled twelve baskets with the pieces of the five barley loaves left over by those who had eaten. John 6:11-13 NIV

God's hands are not only capable. They are powerful!

 

God's powerful hands turn the ordinary extraordinary.

Honor God with what you have and what you have will become something you never even thought possible. He says,

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. Jeremiah 33:3 NIV

In 2 Kings 4:1-7, an ordinary small jar of olive oil turned into something extraordinary with God. It provided the widow and her two sons money to pay for their debts and to have budget for their entire lives.

She went and told the man of God, and he said, “Go, sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” 2 Kings 4:7 NIV

Yes, God's hands are capable and powerful, but more importantly, they are loving.

God's loving hands keep the obedient blessed.

Receiving the desires of one's heart requires delighting in the Lord. Those whose delight is in the Lord obeys with all their hearts.

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. Deuteronomy 28:1 NIV

 Partial obedience is disobedience. One must FULLY obey God. To the one who understands how much God loves him/her, obedience is not a problem.

In John 2:1-10, Jesus’ first miracle required the obedience of the servants. He gave the instructions, and they obeyed.

⁶Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons. ⁷Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim. ⁸Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.” They did so John 2:6-8 NIV

He did not only turn 6 stone jars of water into wine, He also saved the couple who just got married and their families from embarrassment.

How many times have the Lord did this for us? He saved us from embarrassment and from unnecessary pains.

This is what I believe - When we are serving God faithfully, obeying His commands, searching His will, yet we do not receive what we ask for in prayers, the Lord is protecting us.

When I was newly married, my wife had to go on a mission trip, her and the team she was with missed their bus. They had no choice but to call the team who will meet with them to let them know they will be late. They were able to catch the next bus. On their way, they saw the bus they missed, and it was burning. Had they ridden it, they would have injured themselves. The Lord protected them. It seemed negative when they missed it, but because of what they witnessed, they understand it was a blessing.

Under God's wings, Christ's sufficiency is the answer. Problem begins when we consciously step out of God's protection and still DEMAND that He bless us as if we are obedient to Him.

 

The truth is, Christ is the answer! He knows best even when we think we know ourselves more.

That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:10 NIV

Even seemingly odd situation is a blessing to those whose hearts delight in the Lord.