A Life Giving Saying
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I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Paul moves on from the previous statement that the law was laid down for the ungodly and sinners, the unholy and profane, those who strike their mothers and fathers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjerurs, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine. He reflects back on it and first gives thanks to God that he was one of those, yet now he is not.
He says in verse 13, he was formally a blasphemer, meaning a reviler of God… he was a persecutor, he was arresting and complicit in the killing of Christians…and and insolent or violent opponent. He stood against God. Against the kingdom of God.
What changed?
He received compassion and pity from God. He recieved…meaning it was passive. He didn’t earn it. In fact the very definition of mercy is not getting what you do deserve in the sense of justice for the law. He deserved hell. He deserved to be crucified. But God spared him. He did not give him what he deserved, but instead gave him what he didn’t deserve.
He received mercy because he acted ignoranlty. He was not willfuly disobedient, but believed through his zeal for God that he was doing the right thing. He was blindly being decieved and decieving, climbing the ladder of the pharisees, gaining influence and riches, without knowing exactly what he was doing. He was metaphorically blinded. Until the Lord Jesus appeared to him as he was on the road with a few of his coworkers and literally knocked him off of his high horse to the ground and physically blinded his eyes with scales. And spoke to him.
(Question 1…) Has the Lord Jesus knocked you off of your high horse yet? The word of God proclaims that God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. My friends, have you been humbled? Or do you go to great length to make sure you arent’ humbled? Being humbled is painful indeed, yet it is a great blessing.
Because the trade off is amazing. Paul once had worldly riches, he once had fame and fortune. Yet, he was an enemy of God. He had no real joy, he had artifical sinful joy. He had no true peace, he had lie. He did not have true love, he has selfishness. But when Christ came to him, Paul says in verse 14, the grace of our Lord overflowed for me... literally, “was more than abundant”… He recieved, unstood, felt and experienced the faith and love that are in Jesus Christ.
Once Paul was a shining star on broadway. All of the higherups loved him. Any poor person couldn’t catch the time of day from him but all the rich and wealthy, the influencers, the ones with status thought him amazing! The jewish kids wanted to be like him, they probably asked him things like, how do we get success like yours?
But Jesus had other plans. Verse 16, Paul says explicitly that the reason he was shown mercy was so that he would become an example. He was once an example of worldliness, and promoted the pharisees propoganda of salvation through their tradtion. Rather than leading souls to living water, Paul pitched the bucket down into his own well of salvation and what came up was death.
But Paul says he became an example of the extreme patience of God. God allowed Paul to be like this for years. Paul was allowed to persecute the church; allowed to live in vain. But Christ Jesus displayed his perfect patience, or long suffering through Paul. He was there with Paul, waiting for the right time to open his eyes. Paul says in Romans, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us..
But here in Timothy Paul meditates on this, reminding Timothy to remember how the grace of the Lord first appeared to him and all the while proclaiming to all who read this letter that no one is too far gone. Jesus Christ and His perfect patience, and his overflowing grace, is sufficient and waiting for the most ruthless of sinner.
Anyone can be saved, anyone can come to Christ. And Paul, who began this meditation with thanksgiving, and remembering what the Lord has miraculously done in his life, ends his thoughts with a song of praise…A doxology. To the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and Glory forever and ever..
How can you keep from praise when you remember what the Lord has done for you? God commanded the Israelites to do the same. He says in deuteronomy 11 to remeber the work of the Lord when he rescued you from Egypt, how he parted the sea, how he struck pharoah, how He saved you.. And then finsihed with this
For your eyes have seen all the great work of the Lord that he did.
(Question 2)...My friends, have your eyes beheld the grace of the Lord Jesus at work in your life? Have your experienced the great heart warming glory of the forgiveness bought at the cross in your life?
In contrast, this was a downfall of the Ephesian church. In Revelation 2 Jesus speaks to the Ephesian church and tells them their doctrine is great, he knows how much they toil and their patient endurance in their faith. They have not grown weary in the mission of Christ and the pursuit and defense of truth. Yet, Jesus had what against them? That they lost the love they had at first. They had forgotten what it was all about.
It’s not all about strong doctrine. Yes it is in part, and it is the Job of the elders to gaurd it. But does the church have a heart for people? To see the wicked and vile and unrighteous come unto Jesus and find rest, and tranfsformation. The antedote then Jesus says is, remember.... remember therefore from where you have fallen. Remeber how lost you were, how dark and bleak and depressing your life was before meeting Christ. Remember the light and the love that melted your heart and pierced through the hard leathery surface of your soul. Remember! Remember Christ and His love that He has shown you, and the immence forgiveness He has given you. Repent of your cold heart, and do the works you did at first through the love of Christ.
This is what Paul toiled and strived for. He lived a life of selflessness and suffered for the sake of Christ. Do you think it felt good to kick Alexander and hymenaus out of the church? Most commentators believe that they were elders… That means they had influence and a reputation in the church. Do you think it felt good to come to the church and say, these men aren’t who you think they are, they are liars, and fakes… And under my authority, they are gone, no longer allowed to teach in the church....and until they repent no longer to be treated as Christians but those who are lost…
Do you think it felt good to preach the gospel and then be beaten? Do you think it wasn’t a constant battle seeing your friends come and get real close to you and then desert you? No it was a toil. It was a struggle and hard work.
So, In verse 18 Paul commands Timothy to resolve to remember who he is. It sounds as if he knows about this from past experiences. Timothy, you are going to question if you are called for this, if this is worth it, if you even want to do it anymore… This won’t be like the missionary journeys you had in the past. No, you are going to stay, get to know people who are going to hurt you, and still have the burden of commanding sound doctrine.
You are going to love people, be hurt by people, be tempted by your flesh, be broken in your spirit, be depressed, persecuted, struck down… Your going to be tempted to become jaded and cold toward people… For the one who fights for sound doctrine is not immune to the devils temptings or the fleshes doubts. In fact, Paul calls it warfare. Standing up for sound doctrine is warfare. It tough, it is grueling, and it isn’t easy.
But Timothy, Paul says, fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscieous. Fight for it Timothy, keep a close watch on yourself… Don’t let your heart sink cold, don’t become bitter, get so close to Jesus that you not become apathetic… Because if you don’t keep a watch over yourself, my friend, you have an example, and what happened to them? They made a shipwreck of their faith.
(Question 3)...My friends, are you this concerned about the state of your heart? About the strength of your faith? Are you in a shipwreck, or headed there? Beware, not many who make a shipwreck of their faith turn the ship back around…
What keeps Christians fighting the good fight of faith? What makes a man stand up for sound doctrine, and put up with the hurt and the shade the world throws at him? What keeps Christians from becoming complacent and lazy in their doctrine? What keeps the church filled with true love and compassion? Look at verse 15…
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
The center message of the Gospel is right here. It is what Paul lives for. It is what Paul boasts in. It is what he is unashamed about! It is a creed that drives his life and all the actions of it. Its what he clings to when he is recieving 39 lashes not once, not twice, not three times, but five times. It is what he clings to as he is thrown into prision. It is what he clings to when he throws alexander and hymenus out of the church.
1 Timothy 4:9 paul brings this trustworthy saying again...
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.
What saying? The one he mentioned in chapter 1:15…He brings it up smack dab in the context of Timothy’s service in light of people turning away and instructions for those in the chruch. Look at chapter 4 verse 6-8
If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
We will come back to these verses in the weeks to come, but he is admonishing Timothy, Timothy, when you feel like you are failing, when the church splits over silly issues you yourself won’t believe are real or even big issues you fight for, when the townies come and try to run you off or burn your church, or kill your friends, remember the saying… Jesus Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. Remember the love that Christ gives sinners! Remeber the love Christ gave you! Never forget it Timothy, hold on to it like a bride remebers her wedding day, like a parent remembers the birth of their children... let it consume you, bathe in it…
Look at verse 10
For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
We toil and strive to put forth the right doctrine in order to promote the Lordship of Jesus Christ and the gospel of God which is the power for salvation. Not to have sound doctrine for sound doctrines sake… But we toil and strive for sound doctrine and right order in the church to this end, that the lost may be found, and the found may be strengthened. This Timothy is why you bear the burden of laboring in prayer day by day, this is why you preach the word, this is why you stand up to bullies in the church, this is why you endure suffering Timothy. Because people’s souls are on the line.
My friends, as we close I ask you. Do you love people this much? Do you love the lost this much that you are willing to give up your life for them so they might see you laboring and offering them Christ: to pray for them everyday: to grow in your understanding of Christ so you might better help them?
Consdier this also, do you love Christian people and desire to be with them? Or has one aspect of your life, or the church, consumed you to where Jesus would say of your life, you have lost the love you had when you were first saved....
I was thinking about those who were at the cook out last sunday after church and then again were at the fireworks on Thursday night. Not saying that all of the rest of you don’t love each other, but the joy that was coming from that group to just be together and love on one another in Christ was overwhelming to me.
The church, every Chrsitian Church that proclaims the Lordship of Jesus Christ is to be a picture of sinners saved by grace. Sinners who have experienced the deepest darkest pit of guilt and shame and unworthiness, and along the way experienced the great grace, abundant mercy, and peace that surpasses all understanding from God our Father through the Lord Jesus Christ. People saved by God, who have known His great love and in turn love Him. Who have experienced his sacrifice and sacrifice for other people people. The Church are those who have come to know His perfect patience and in-turn give patience..
My friends, this is a trustworthy saying, that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. Has your heart been melted by this? Do you know the eternal love of God?
He offers it to you again today. So while you hear his voice, while you feel the conviction, while you hear the words of God calling you to lay your life down, to repent of your sin, to turn and love God and love your brother, don’t harden your heart. Hear him today, and respond. Humble yourself before Him.
Thanks be to God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Amen.
