1 Timothy 2:5-6a

The Chapel Fort Wayne

1 Timothy 2:5-6a

Only One Mediator

July 24, 2024 • Pastor Mike Fanning • 1 Timothy 2:5–6

PASSAGE: 1 Timothy 2:5-6a - For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all...

PAUSE: Who or what can possibly bridge the gap between Holy God and sinful humanity? There are not multiple answers. There is one answer, the One Mediator, Jesus Christ! The animals sacrificed in the Old Testament sacrificial system could not serve as a true mediator between God and man because they were not moral beings and thus their sacrifice pictured but did not accomplish payment for our sins (“ransom”). Jesus alone qualifies as the one acceptable mediator between God and man because He was both fully God and fully man! And not only was He fully man but He alone lived a perfectly sinless life from His birth to His death. Thus, His sacrifice on the cross as a “ransom for all men (humanity)” was an acceptable and pleasing sacrifice before the Father. Friend, you cannot self-save! You cannot mediate for yourself through a life of trying to be “good enough!” Christ is the only One, our Only Hope, our Only Savior!

PRAYER: God our Savior, when we could not be good enough or try hard enough to make ourselves right with You, You sent Jesus to purchase us back to Yourself! Praise Your Holy Name! Amen.

Matthew 6:12

August 9, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Matthew 6:12

PASSAGE: Matthew 6:12 - ...and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. PAUSE: Don't rush past this line in the Lord's Prayer! " give us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors" We know the words, but do we live that out? Or does your prayer sound more like this: "Forgive me of my debts. And surely you understand I can't forgive So-and-so, because you saw what they did to me." Why do we expect no-strings-attached forgiveness when it comes to our own debts, but then we raise the bar when it comes to our offer of forgiveness? Nothing shuts down our relationship with God and with one another more than unforgiveness! Jesus is reminding us with this model of prayer, that when we remember how much we have been forgiven, we are set free to be radical forgivers of others! Our sinfulness against a perfect, Holy God has been forgiven completely based on nothing we have done to earn it. If you are ever tempted to withhold forgiveness to others, remember Christ's unconditional forgiveness toward you. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we praise You for how much You have forgiven us in Christ. Help us to choose to forgive others every time! Amen.

Matthew 6:11

August 8, 2024 • Pastor Josh Lewis • Matthew 6:11

PASSAGE: Matthew 6:11 - Give us this day our daily bread... PAUSE: If you sat down right now to make a list of things you want and need, what are the first things that come to mind? For me, I tend to think about the big things first. If you look at my kids' Christmas lists, they usually start with the really big wishlist items: a horse, a trip to Australia, etc. What items typically don't make their list? Socks to replace the ones with holes. Groceries for dinner this week. Pencils for school this year. Even though those things don't make the list, they're clearly more important than the wish list items. When we present our needs to God, what does that list look like for you? As Jesus modeled for us in the Lord's prayer, we need to recognize that it's not just the big needs that we should be taking to God. He is our abundant Provider and He invites us to bring our true needs directly to Him in prayer! Keep praying for the big things--the breakthrough, the healing, the miracles, the opportunities-- but don't neglect to ask Him for your everyday needs (food for the day, strength to make it through a situation, patience in the moment). He is our sole provider, and He wants us to lean on Him for all things. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, so often we fret and worry over many of the basic needs in our lives. May we be quick to seek You with all of those needs and then give praise to Your Name as You meet those needs. Amen

Matthew 6:10

August 7, 2024 • Pastor Mike Fanning • Matthew 6:10

PASSAGE: Matthew 6:10 - Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. PAUSE: The ultimate purpose of prayer is not to line God up with our will but to surrender the whole of our lives to His will! God’s “kingdom” refers to His reign and rule as King of the universe. Right now, Christians are living under His rulership, but the world is in rebellion against His rule. Thus, the prayer is for His rule to spread, for more people to surrender their lives to His loving Lordship. Now imagine the level to which God’s will is followed in heaven. 100%! The second line of this prayer is that His will would be followed increasingly here on earth. As Christ-followers we can pray this prayer of surrender to the rule and will of the Father for ourselves, for our families, for our church family, for our country, for the places our missionaries are serving, and ultimately for our whole world. Like Jesus prayed in the garden, “Your will be done!” PRAYER: Heavenly Father, often times we get things all turned around in our prayers to You. We try to get You to serve our purposes rather than surrendering ourselves to Your purposes. Forgive us and use us to serve Your will. Amen.