I Timothy 2:5
"For there is one God, (I’ve already stressed that) and one mediator between God and men, the (what?) man (the man!) Christ Jesus;"
That doesn’t take away His Deity, it magnifies it. Because all the way through from His birth on through His ministry and on through His revelations to the Apostle Paul, we’re always stressing that He was totally God but on the other hand He was human. He was in our humanity as Adam was before he fell into sin and death. And so, as His mediator-ship comes in, it’s the "man Christ Jesus." And after all, we have to realize – now let me back up - I have a hard time trying to determine how much I can cover. Now that’s not easy. Well, I’ve just about given up. I’m just going to let the Spirit lead. Because there's so much that needs to be said or revealed to clear the air so to speak. Because of the false teachings by way of ignorant men teaching or as the Lord said the blind guides leading the blind and they both fall into the ditch or hells fire. Come on back to Acts.
Alright, so here is something that I hadn’t even thought of. But, when it speaks of the "man Christ Jesus" as being our mediator. Come back with me to Acts chapter 1 because this is fundamental, this is elementary. And I’m not going to take your mind away from the priesthood of Melchizedek but I want you to see how that Christ is the logical explanation for this particular revelation of a priesthood.
Acts 1:3
"To whom also he (Jesus, coming out of His resurrection) showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them (that is the disciples, the eleven not counting Judas, of course.) forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:"
Before we get into our study allow me to say that an early Bible teacher named Major W. Ian Thomas used the reference to the kingdom-Life as his back ground and that this was in reference to the Lord's message of the "kingdom of God" message which He proclaimed to Israel during His ministration to them. We need to understand that in this New Covenant Age or Church Age that we're now to become ministers or stewards of the mysteries as revealed to Paul upon which Christ's Church is built. And that both references are but one because the Lord High Priest is Christ Jesus, "the man Jesus Christ." Alright now come on over to verse 9 still in Acts chapter 1. Remember the eleven saw Him, and Paul rehearses it in I Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter. "That first He was seen of the eleven. And then of over five hundred at one time and then he says last of all He was seen of me also." Now we’re not talking about an invisible spirit. We’re talking about a human appearance. Now Acts 1:9. And remember Christ is in His resurrected body with the nail-pierced hands and heals, also His pierced side.
Acts 1:9
"And when he had spoken these things, while they (the eleven) beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."
Now how do you picture the ascension? Just a puff of cloud going up? Some invisible spirit going up? Why, no. He went up bodily. I just mentioned a verse in Colossians that will help. So let’s find it in chapter 2, and let’s drop down to verse 8.
Colossians 2:8
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."
Now that’s why I had to use this verse. So that you see Who we’re talking about. That we are supposed to stay true to Christ! Now the next verse.
Colossians 2:9
"For in him (Christ) dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead (how?) bodily."
Bodily. In human form. That same body that came out of the tomb, where he showed Thomas the nail-prints and where on the Sea of Galilee, what did He do? Fixed breakfast. Remember I told you, that must have been the best tasting fish that any human ever tasted. Because He fixed it and no wonder He asked Peter, "do you love me more than these?" That probably was a tough question because that must have been delicious food if the Lord fixed it. But, was He in some invisible spirit form when He did that? No. They saw him standing there on the shore.
And so this is what we have to establish. That Christ in His resurrected body was just as visible as He was in His earthly ministry. Alright, so as He is now our intercessor, and He’s the mediator. But He’s also the High Priest of "the Most High God."
Never forget that. I’m going to drum on that, like I said last time, I’m going to let you hear it in your sleep. "The Most High God." That’s who He is the High Priest of. Then verse 5 of Hebrews chapter 7.
Hebrews 7:5a
"So verily they that are of the sons of Levi, (out of whom the priesthood came, remember, who ministered at the Temple) who received the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the (what?) Law,…"
Another verse comes to mind. I’m going to take you back to it. Flip back to Romans chapter 6, and here it’s as plain as day that tithing, the ten percent, was part of the Levitical Law. Remember I want you to see what Romans chapter 6 says about the Law, and let’s drop in at verse 14. I mean this is just plain English.
Romans 6:14
"For sin (or the old Adam-Satan-child nature) shall not have dominion over you: (in other words, we’ve been set free from its control by virtue of our redemption and now His working out of our salvation. Now here it is) for ye are not under the law, but under grace."
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