Words like obedience, consistency, dedication, and discipline describe a soldier of the cross. They are the natural response of a soul in love with the Lord. Why are these attributes so important for the disciple of Christ? Compare them to essential occupations that civilization relies upon. For example, a military solider without discipline is ineffective; a teacher without dedication is fruitless; a doctor without consistency is dangerous, and a Christian without obedience is worthless. Daniel possessed all four of these attributes and despite the efforts of the other Persian governors and satraps to discredit him, he was found without fault.
You see Daniel, now in his eighties, was chosen to be one of three governors over the entire Persian Empire and most likely he was the only Jew in a leadership position. In fact, Daniel had so distinguished himself from the other governors “because an excellent spirit was in him” that King Darius was considering “setting him over the entire kingdom” (Daniel 6:3). Have you ever envied another person for their accomplishments or success? Have you ever been angry because of a coworker’s recognition? This is what happened when the other leaders found out about Daniel’s potential promotion. They opposed Daniel for many reasons, but primarily they were concerned about losing money when Daniel became their boss. These other governors and satraps were dishonest, greedy, and they knew their financial schemes would come to an end if Daniel was promoted.
So after they “could find no charge or fault” in Daniel they attacked him where it would hurt the most; they attacked his faith. Thus, after learning of the news that whoever prayed to another god other than the King of Persia would be thrown into the lion’s den, Daniel went “in his upper room, with his windows open toward Jerusalem…and prayed” (Daniel 6:10).
Many years before Daniel was forced to chose between his Jewish diet and the Babylonian diet and now as an old man he would also have to chose and without hesitation Daniel demonstrated tremendous courage in the face of extreme consequences. Daniel chose God, the One true God, and he prayed. He didn’t seek to conceal his prayer toward Jerusalem, he obediently sought the Lord “three times a day on his knees.” Daniel knew what could happen, he knew disobedience meant being “thrown into a lions’ den,” yet he was unmoved. Daniel wasn’t thinking about rebellion, he was focused on obedience. Daniel was seeking to “obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29). In short, Daniel was eventually thrown into the lions’ den, yet the Lord closed the mouths of the lions and Daniel was completely unharmed.
Daniel chose death over dishonoring himself before Lord, Daniel was a man of courage and faith, he loved his Lord more than his own life, and ultimately Daniel only feared the Lord.
Do you love the Lord enough to choose Him over your own life?
Temptation and pressure are always part of integrating into a new social environment or culture. It occurs when we join a new company, move to a new state or city, or perhaps even join the military. Whenever followers of Christ assimilate into a new culture they are faced with various kinds of temptations and pressures; pressures that make us choose. Since the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God’s people have faced tremendous pressure to conform to the world and the people whom lived around them and since the beginning of time God has provided everything His people needed to know right from wrong. With Adam He defined his limits and instituted the first family, with Noah He established the institution of government, and with Abraham He promised to make him into a great nation.
Imagine being a Jewish teenager whose entire family has been taken into captivity to a pagan nation. Imagine being an Israelite who is seeking to honor God amongst a people who don’t respect your beliefs or know anything about the One True God and His Law. This was the life of Daniel. Daniel loved the Lord and was determined to not defile himself within his new Babylonian culture.
King Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, had chosen Daniel from among other Jewish “youths” for a three year training program. Daniel was described as having no defect, good looking, and intelligent. As challenging as it would be to read the Babylonian literature and learn their language, Daniel was about to face an issue he could not compromise on; his Jewish diet prescribed by God's Law. The scripture reads “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank…” (Daniel 1:8).
It’s important to understand that Daniel was a Jew and was strictly forbidden from eating foods and drinking wines that were dedicated to idols, but that is exactly what Nebuchadnezzar wanted Daniel and his buddies to do. It was now time for Daniel to choose, would he compromise his convictions or would he stand with God? His name Daniel meant “God is my judge,” so Daniel knew what was at stake if he compromised. It was an extreme honor to be chosen for the king’s training program which no doubt further intensified the pressure in his mind. Nonetheless, “Daniel purposed in his heart that he would no defile himself.”
It’s no different for the modern day soldier of the cross. Like Daniel the more you know about God and His Word, the more courageous and convicted you will be about not defiling yourself. Daniel was gracious towards the king’s officials, he wasn’t defiant nor did he start an argument. He proposed an alternative way, God’s way; and he and his friends would come out victorious.
How convicted are you about obeying God in the face of opposition, temptation, and defilement? Daniel “made up his mind that he would not defile himself”…wont you?
The largest ransom ever paid to a kidnapper was $60 million in 1974, which is equivalent to $293 million in 2015. However, this pales in comparison to the ransom paid by Jesus. The ransom paid by Jesus is unlike any ransom the world has ever known. It’s a ransom rooted in love and it’s a ransom that is undeserved. It’s a ransom paid not just for one person or even two, but for “all.” While the ransoms we hear about in the news are motivated by money, the ransom paid by Jesus was motivated by love. Furthermore, the ransoms paid by parents or siblings of kidnap victims are almost always paid grudgingly, fearfully, and out of necessity, the ransom paid by Jesus was completely voluntary due to His willingness the save the world from its captivity to sin.
Following his statement that Jesus was the Mediator between God and man, Paul states that Jesus “gave Himself as a ransom for all, to be a testimony in due time" (1 Timothy 2:6). This is miraculous news for the entire world. This verse begins with an incredible statement of sacrifice; that Jesus “gave Himself.” Translation, Jesus freely gave up His body as a sacrifice. He willingly humbled Himself to the point of death and suffered humiliation at the hands of the Roman government so those who would come to believe in Him as their Savior could live forever. Jesus “gave Himself” up for those who loved Him and those who hated Him. For those who fed Him and those who spit on Him. He “gave Himself” up so His followers could live forever. That is love!
Jesus gave Himself “as a ransom for all.” This can be compared to Jesus’ own statement that He came to give His life “as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). This certainly doesn’t mean that Jesus will save everyone, however He will save those (many) who become His disciples through faith and repentance. But the key word here is “ransom.” To understand the word properly a person must think of a slave. A slave is always owned by someone and in spiritual terms, everyone is either owned by Jesus or by Satan. Unknowingly, most of the world is in slavery to Satan; while those who follow Christ are His slaves. Thus, when Jesus went to the cross He became a “ransom for all” by redeeming the souls of His past, present, and future believers. His blood payment was sufficient for the lives of all who come to Him as Lord. A payment that demanded blood, His divine blood.
Being completely innocent, Jesus “gave Himself” to free humanity from sin and deliver all who believe upon His finished work and resurrection from the eternal death we all deserve. His ransom has now become “a testimony in due time” for Paul and for every follower who has followed after him. The testimony of Jesus’ ransom humbles a believer to surrender all to Him and to call Him Lord.
Are you being held in captivity to sin? If so, call upon the only one who can set you free, Jesus!
When two people have a disagreement there is often the need for a mediator. In our modern day we know a mediator as a go-between who seeks to resolve a conflict between two people or two parties. However, this is not how the apostle Paul refers to Jesus. In the Greek the word “Mediator” means a “trustworthy neutral.” Human beings are sinful by nature and the penalty for sin is eternal death (Romans 6:23), thus a Mediator is needed. The gospel tells us that a penalty had to be paid for our sins, so God sent His Son to the cross to satisfy this penalty. Since humanity could not pay this penalty Jesus served as Mediator between God and man. As the God-man, Jesus was the only one qualified to serve as Mediator. As both fully human and fully God, he was uniquely qualified to represent both humanity and God.
Nearly two thousand years ago Jesus was nailed to a cross to permanently resolve (mediate) the issue of sin between God and man. Prior to that, humanity was spiritually separated from God and relied upon a High Priest and animal sacrifices to temporary atone for their sins. Access to God was restricted to a select few. So in order to accomplish His divine plan to redeem the world back from Satan’s grip God sent His Son to Mediate.
Following Paul’s command Timothy to pray for “all men” he makes it clear that God “desires all men to be saved” (1 Timothy 2:4). Paul then follows this critical truth by stating “…there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). Only Jesus could ratify a new covenant with the Father. He stepped onto the earth as God in the flesh to mediate a peace treaty between God and sinful humanity.
Finally, Paul identifies Jesus as “the Man Christ Jesus.” Paul does this to prove that Jesus was not just fully God but also fully human which was an essential qualification to enable Jesus to serve as Mediator with humanity. There is only one way to God and to heaven and its through Jesus (John 14:6). It’s not through Muhammad, it’s not through Buddha, and it’s not through good works.
Mediation is complete, the new covenant is secured, peace has been obtained, eternal life is real, and God’s work to redeem man is finished. Jesus has granted humanity direct access to the throne of grace, the grace that has saved us. The only requirement is genuine belief in faith and repentance.
Jesus’ mediation work on earth is finished. Now He stands ready to intercede for all who believe in Him and have received their salvation through grace.
Will you allow Jesus to be your Mediator and Intercessor?
