Living Without Christ as Mediator
Pastor Dennis Smith continues his series "Abiding in Christ" tackling an important topic that is, unfortunatelly, largely neglected or misunderstood by most of the Christian world today: how to prepare for the time when we will have to live without Christ as our Mediator in the temple in heaven.
Sermon Excrept
"Since the fall of Adam, every judgement of God on this earth has been mingled with mercy. Since the fall of Adam, we had a Mediator. We can ask for forgiveness, and we are forgiven. It has been like that since the fall of Adam. Even now, we are told in Revelation 7 the angels are holding back the winds of destruction. There is still mercy [...].
God is waiting for his people to be sealed, otherwise they would not be able to survive the closing events of the earth's history.
When judgement ends, however, things change dramatically. There is no mercy, and in Revelation 22:11-12 we are told those that are righteous will stay righteous. Those that are holy will stay holy. Those that are filthy will stay filthy. There is no change. Every case has been decided [...].
We have to come to the point in our life that Jesus is fully manifest in us every moment of every day, because we will be living without a Mediator."
According to the Bible, the seven last plagues will start when the judgement ends.
When Revelation 14:9-10 talks about these plagues, by using the expression "the wine of the wrath of God", it stresses the fact that this wine "is poured out without mixture", which means there will be no mercy.
These statements are very significat for our generation, as all the timed prophecies have been fulfilled and we are closer than ever to the closing of judgement and the seven plagues.
Many Christians like to believe that the seven plagues will not affect them, as they will have beep secretely raptured by Christ before they take place. But this is not what the Bible teaches. Christians will still be on earth during the plagues. Moreover, as stated earlier, Christ will no longer be their Mediator during those incredibly difficult times. How will they survive? What protection can they count on? We higly recommend this message, as it deals with one of the most important aspects of the Christian experience - how to become perfect before the judgement ends, and before the mediating work of Jesus ends.
Living Without Christ as Mediator - Sermon Summary
Those living when Jesus returns:
- Living during time in history very different from any other previous time since fall of Adam
- God’s mercy seen in world.
- Now angels are holding back destructive forces until God’s children are sealed by Holy Spirit (Revelation 7:1-3, Ephesians 4:30).
- Revelation 22:11-12 - all cases decided
- Seven last plagues fall without God’s mercy
A Purification Time
Mal 3:1-3 - purification time just before judgment ends- Ellen White quotes Mal. 3:2,3:
"Those who are living upon the earth when the intercession of Christ shall cease in the sanctuary above, are to stand in the sight of a holy God without a mediator. Their robes must be spotless, their characters must be purified from sin by the blood of sprinkling. Through the grace of God and their own diligent effort, they must be conquerors in the battle with evil. While the investigative Judgment is going forward in Heaven, while the sins of penitent believers are being removed from the sanctuary, there is to be a special work of purification, of putting away of sin, among God's people upon earth.
"When this work shall have been accomplished, the followers of Christ will be ready for his appearing. ‘Then shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former years.’ [Mal. 3:4]. Then the church which our Lord at his coming is to receive to himself will be ‘a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’ [Eph. 5:27]
" The Great Controversy, p.425
- Just prior to Christ’s second coming -great refining process
- Purifying process will cause God’s children to have spotless characters.
- Conquerors over every temptation and sin.
- Ellen White wrote of this experience:
"Christ is waiting with longing desire for the manifestation of Himself in His church. When the character of Christ shall be perfectly reproduced in His people, then He will come to claim them as His own." Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69
- Character of Christ "perfectly reproduced in His people." Not justification only
- Christ’s perfect character being imparted to His people.
- Only way they can live in the sight of a holy God without a mediator.
Jude 24
- Keep us from falling,
- Present us faultless
- In the presence of His glory – 2nd coming
"All true obedience comes from the heart. It was heart work with Christ. And if we consent, He will so identify Himself with our thoughts and aims, so blend our hearts and minds into conformity to His will, that when obeying Him we shall be but carrying out our own impulses. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God, as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us." Desire of Ages, p.668
- Allow Christ to live out His life in us continually.
An Illustration
Picture two pieces of cloth that are placed side by side parallel to each other.- One cloth is white, which represents the Christian covered with the “white” righteousness of Christ though not 100 percent reflecting His character yet.
- Other cloth is saturated with liquid blue dye, which represents Christ.
- Blue dye symbolizes His character, likes, dislikes, virtues, etc.
- As the blue cloth comes into contact with the white cloth the blue dye liquid begins seeping into and through the white cloth.
- As long as they stay in close contact the white cloth will continue to become more and more blue.
- In time only blue is seen.
- The blue dye has completely saturated the white cloth.
- White cloth did not work at becoming blue.
- It simply stayed in intimate contact with the blue cloth.
- Choose to stay intimately close to Christ
- Believe He will live out His life in us.
- His life, character, virtues, etc. become more and more a part of our life.
- In time only Christ will be seen.
"When His words of instruction have been received, and have taken possession of us, Jesus is to us an abiding presence, controlling our thoughts, and ideas and actions… It is no more we that live, but Christ that liveth in us, and he is the hope of glory. Self is dead, but Christ is a living Saviour." Testimonies to Ministers, p.389
- Situations that would cause impure thoughts – Now only pure thoughts
- Situations where anger would have arisen – Now no anger
- Where certain unhealthy foods would have triggered a craving – Now there is no craving.
- Christ’s sinless nature will be totally dominant in the life.
- 2 Peter 1:4 fulfilled in life
"’The prince of this world cometh,’ said Jesus, ‘and hath nothing in Me.’ John 14:30. There was in Him nothing that responded to Satan’s sophistry. He did not consent to sin. Not even by a thought did He yield to temptation. So it may be with us." Desire of Ages, p.123
A Time Without Sin
When Christ no longer mediating- Have to have attained a condition of complete victory over all sin
- No known sin in life.
- Not sinning in thought, word or deed.
- Christ fully manifesting Himself in and through us
Let the Rain Fall
Victory over temptation and sin:- Must happen under early rain baptism of H S.
- If does not happen latter rain of Spirit no benefit
"I saw that many were neglecting the preparation so needful, and were looking to the time of ‘refreshing’ and the ‘latter rain’ to fit them to stand in the day of the Lord, and to live in His sight. Oh, how many I saw in the time of trouble without a shelter! They had neglected the needful preparation; therefore they could not receive the refreshing that all must have to fit them to live in the sight of a holy God." Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen White, p. 112
- We not have to take sin problem serious in life
"I saw that none could share the ‘refreshing’ unless they obtained the victory over every besetment, over pride, selfishness, love of the world, and over every wrong word and action." Ibid.113
- Brings spiritual maturity required to benefit from latter rain
"The latter rain, ripening earth’s harvest, represents the spiritual grace that prepares the church for the coming of the Son of man. But unless the former rain has fallen, there will be no life; the green blade will not spring up. Unless the early showers have done their work, the latter rain can bring no seed to perfection." The Faith I Live By, p.333
- Necessary for us to recognize the latter rain of the Spirit when it is falling.
"Unless we are daily advancing in the exemplification of the active Christian virtues, we shall not recognize the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the latter rain. It may be falling on hearts all around us, but we shall not discern or receive it." Testimony to Ministers, p.507
Conclusion
Therefore, absolutely vital we:- Take seriously God’s call to be filled with His Spirit
- Allow Jesus to manifest Himself in and through us
- We gain victory over every temptation and sin
"Nothing but the baptism of the Holy Spirit can bring up the church to its right position, and prepare the people of God for the fast approaching conflict." 2MR 30
- About complete victory over the temptations
- Necessary for every Christian to understand and experience
- If they are living when Jesus comes
- God is calling that final generation into existence today
