1 Timothy 1:12-20 The Christian’s Secret Weapon

Read 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Scripture Reading: Steven Eisen

Intro: Stealth fighter

I grew up in the golden age of aircraft

I also grew up where they built most of the cool planes

The space shuttle was made down the road

It was also where the final flights of the SR 71 took place

In high school they built the B-2 bomber, that wing looking plane

But the biggest by far was the stealth bomber

This plane looked like an arrowhead

It was able to evade radar detection

Their test flights always made everyone stop what they were doing and watch

Surprisingly, the plane was very loud and slow but it got the job done

Today I want to show you a stealth weapon in fighting the good fight

The enemy can’t detect it, nor does it understand it

Yet, nothing will get you through the day and to cross the finish line more than this one thing

What am I talking about?

The Grace of God

Grace gives us what we don’t deserve and sustains us when we’ve blown it

We are going to see three aspects of God’s grace in Paul’s life

Eternal Gratitude vs. 12

The first aspect we see in this secret weapon is eternal gratitude

Paul is eternally grateful because God chose to use him even though he was the worst persecutor

He is grateful because he was given strength, judged faithful, and appointed to serve

At the end of his life he was able to look back and be eternally grateful for the grace extended

He didn’t deserve any of it

Gives Strength

Paul was eternally grateful that God strengthened him

No endured more than Paul

Ananias even prophesied that he must suffer for the sake of his name

Through all of those trials Paul was strengthened by the Lord

2 Timothy 4:17 ESV

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.

God used Paul to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles

This should encourage us because there is strength for what God needs us to do

Judged Faithful

Paul was eternally thankful that God judged him faithful

At the end of his ministry he knew that he had been faithful to what God had given him

Notice how Paul doesn’t mention success?

Faithfulness is what God will say to us when we stand before him

Matthew 25:23 ESV

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Faithfulness is showing up everyday

Faithfulness is doing the right thing

Faithfulness is getting up when you got knocked down

Appointed to Serve

Paul was eternally thankful that he was appointed to serve

Colossians 1:25 ESV

of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,

As we will see next Paul is still marvels that God chose him to be the apostle to the Gentiles

His Grace Overflows vs. 13-15

The second aspect we see in God’s secret weapon is His overflowing grace & mercy

Paul needed God’s grace because of his former behavior towards the Gospel

He was a blasphemer, persecutor, & opponent to the work of Christ

He was the one holding the coats when they stoned Steven

He drug people to prison

His most famous was getting letters to go to Damascus and persecute the saints

Jesus knocked him on his butt and got his attention

vs. 13 Received Mercy

Mercy is not getting what you deserve

Paul deserved to be stoned or at least thrown into prison for his actions

Instead, Jesus called him to be a messenger of the Gospel to the known world

People in the church had a hard time with that at first

They had friends and family who had suffered at the hands of Paul

Paul received mercy because he had acted ignorantly in unbelief

He didn’t believe Jesus was the Messiah and saw the church as a threat to the Jewish way

God often extends mercy to us because of our ignorance and unbelief

vs. 14 Grace Overflowed

Earlier we talked about Grace is getting what don’t deserve

Here Paul talks about how God’s grace overflows

That means more than we can handle

It overwhelms us, knocks us off of our feet

1 Corinthians 15:10 ESV

But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me.

vs. 15 Christ Came to Save Sinners

Five times Paul says the phrase, “This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.”

All in the pastoral epistles

All highlight important theological doctrine

The trustworthy statement in 1:15 acts as a condensed articulation of the gospel.

The world refers to the world of humanity, blind, lost, and condemned to hell because of its hostility to God

Christ’s purpose in coming into this fallen world was to save sinners.

Matthew 9:13 ESV

Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Many in our day would hasten to correct Paul’s self-image and restore his self-esteem.

But that was a healthy self-view for Paul because it was accurate.

It’s hard to imagine anyone worse than a blasphemer of God and persecutor of His church.

Such a view of himself also served to keep Paul humble and grateful.

The purpose of salvation, whether Paul’s or ours, is to display God’s grace, power, and patience and produce a true worshiper of God

Example of Perfect Patience vs. 16-17

The final aspect we see in God’s Secret Weapon is our example of His perfect patience

It was through saving Paul that Jesus Christ could most clearly demonstrate His perfect patience.

Makrothumia (patience) means to be patient with people.

Paul’s point is that if the Lord was patient with the worst of sinners, no one is beyond the reach of His grace

2 Peter 3:9 ESV

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Wage Good Warfare vs. 18-20

Now that we have been given this secret weapon we need wage the good warfare

vs. 18 Entrusted with a Mission

vs. 19-20 Don’t Shipwreck Your Faith