Jesus Came to Save Sinners

Go ahead and turn in your Bibles to . I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I don’t know about you, but I always seem to eat more than I plan to. Someone recently asked me how I stay so fit and I told them my secret—I try to only eat my one portion. It’s difficult at times, because Angie is such a great cook. But that’s what I try to do, eat only my one portion. I also do push-ups and pull-ups twice a week and try to walk the other days. But I think the one portion thing is the trick. I have to confess though, I didn’t stick to my one portion on Thanksgiving Day.

As we transition from Thanksgiving to Christmas, I want us to build some momentum as a church body into recovering the awe and wonder of Christmas. I’m not talking about the actual holiday, but rather, what it truly represents. So we’ll be reading in 1 Timothy, beginning with verse 12.

Read

Prayer for the sermon

Sermon Introduction

Paul is writing this letter to Timothy, who is his protege in the faith. It’s likely Paul is writing after his first imprisonment in Rome which is where the book of Acts ends. And he begins the letter by instructing Timothy in verse 3, to stay in Ephesus so that he can keep an eye on some in the church who were straying from the true gospel and teaching a different doctrine. These individuals were trying to be teachers of the law, Paul says, but they don’t understand the law or what it’s purpose is. The law is good in that it comes from God, but the problem with it is that it can only condemn and cannot help anyone achieve the righteousness of God. These false teachers in the church at Ephesus, though, were attempting to use the law to circumvent the gospel which God had entrusted to Paul.

The church in Paul’s day didn’t have the 27 book NT that we have today. At the time Paul wrote 1 Timothy, at least three of the four gospels were circulating among the churches, as well as some of Paul’s letters and some of the other general epistles. While they didn’t have the complete NT, what the church did have were creeds or statements of faith pertaining to Jesus Christ that they memorized. These early Christian creeds are scattered throughout the NT such as the one we find in this passage in verse 15. They were significant to the life of the church because they were used to teach the basic tenants of the faith to new converts and to protect the true doctrine from being mixed with error. And that is what Paul is trying to do here as he evokes this trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

Which leads Paul to remind Timothy of one of those early Christian creeds in verse 15—the simple gospel truth—Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

That is where I want to spend our time this morning. I want to spend it in verse 15 where Paul uses the creed in verse 15 to remind Timothy of important gospel truths.

Jesus Christ came into the world

He came into the world

Explanation

The first thing Paul reminds Timothy of is that Jesus Christ came into the world. The world is portrayed in multiple ways in the Bible. One way it is presented is as a physical place inhabited by people.

So, Jesus Christ came into the world as a physical being. Paul says in that Jesus “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” Jesus comes into this world the same way we do. he was conceived in his mother’s womb, he grew for nine months, he went through the birthing process, he went through growth spurts and had to learn things just like we do. He lived in a family with a mother and father and brothers and sisters. He grew up in a neighborhood, learned his father’s trade and grew in wisdom. He got hungry and thirsty, he became tired and had to sleep. He felt pain and wept tears. He was tempted like we are yet, without sin. And Paul also says in that “being found in human form, [Jesus] humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” As God, Jesus is an eternal being without beginning or end. But as a human being, Jesus even went through the process of dying and he experienced death. The incarnation of Jesus Christ is an awesome thing to think about when you take the time to sit and reflect on what it means.

No matter what is going on in our lives, it is encouraging to know that our savior can relate to us. According to , we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. Not one person can tell Jesus, “you don’t know what I’m dealing with.” Jesus knows it all and has experienced it all.

Jesus also came into the world in a different way than just physically. When looking at mankind and his relationship with God, the Bible presents the world in terms of a sphere of moral influence, or a system of thought.

Philippians 2:5–7 ESV

The world itself is not evil, but because rebellious human beings inhabit it, the world and its moral influence is seen as sinful. According to Paul...

So what did Jesus do? He came into the world.

Phil 2:5-7

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The wisdom of the world is folly to God, as he says in

The wisdom of the world is unable to come to a knowledge of God, according

Why can’t the world come to a knowledge of God? Because those who live in the world live according to the course of the world and are following the prince of the power of the air ()

Those who live according to the world are enslaved to the elementary principles of the world, according to

Paul asks in

Colossians 2:20–23 ESV

20 If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— 21 “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” 22 (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? 23 These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.

So according to , the world holds people in bondage to asceticism and legalism, but cannot provide a solution to our problem with sin.

In the Apostle John’s writings, we gain an even better perspective of “the world”

Philippians 2:5–8 ESV

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

The world was made through Jesus, yet it does not know him (John 1:10)

There are two possible meanings for the world

In fact, the world hates Jesus because he testifies that its works are evil according to .

John 6:6–7 ESV

6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”

John 6:6–7 ESV

6 He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. 7 Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be enough for each of them to get a little.”

John 7:6–7 ESV

6 Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.

Why are the world’s works evil? Because John says in that the whole world lies in the power of the evil one

The place where human beings reside

What are the works of the world? John describes them in as the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life or possessions

John says that the world is passing away along with its desires ()

Finally, according to John’s gospel, the world lives in darkness and even though Jesus has come into the world as the light of life, the people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil ()

The philosophical system which governs human thought

Now, if the world is rebellious, hating God and hating Christ, you can see why its so amazing that Jesus would come into it. Who goes into a world that hates them to save those who hate him? Jesus does.

And not only that, but Jesus takes his followers out of the world and then sends them back into that same world. Just as Jesus came into the world as a light, He sends us into that same world to be lights in the darkness. In , Paul says we “were formerly darkness, but now [we] are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” And Jesus prays to the Father in for our protection saying, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” ().

But Jesus doesn’t send us into the world empty handed. He seals us in the Holy Spirit of promise and He provides us with Spiritual armor.

Illustration

Why does Jesus go into a world that hates him and then send us into that same world? So that he can save sinners.

I’ve had to go to a place that hated me for the purpose of saving a people who hated me. I went to Afghanistan twice.

Application

Which is the second thing Paul reminds Timothy.

Unlike my deployment to Afghanistan, Jesus doesn’t go into the world because of duty. He goes into the world because of his great love for us.

Jesus calls believers to go into the world.

Well, what did Jesus come to do in the world?

Jesus Christ came to save sinners

One of my favorite verses is . In fact, if you come in my office, I have a sign hanging up with that exact verse on it because it is so precious to me. is really an amazing statement, but it’s only really amazing in light of what Paul says just before that.

In , Paul says that most people are not willing to die for a righteous person. Why is that? Because we usually don’t like righteous people. Righteous people are the goodie-too shoes. They’re the rule followers. But they only follow the rules to make themselves look good and they enjoy pointing out how you don’t follow the rules so you don’t look as good as they do. We generally despise people like that, so as Paul says, we would only rarely die for a righteous person.

Then he says that someone might be willing to die for a good person. This one isn’t as hard to see is it? We can think of good people, those who care for others, and put others needs ahead of their own. Good people are compassionate and always there to help in time of need. And so, we might be willing to die for someone who is good.

The problem is, we’re neither of those kinds of people. We’re neither righteous nor good. In fact, Paul uses other words to describe our condition in Romans, words like ungodly, hostile toward God, and enemies of God.

Illustration: I spent about a year trying to make myself good so that I could receive Jesus, and it didn’t work.

That is what makes so glorious. “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” God doesn’t wait until we start moving toward obedience to send his Son to die on the cross. God doesn’t wait because unless He acts on our behalf, that day would never come. We are incapable of coming to God on our own. We are held captive to the power of sin and Satan. That’s why Paul says in that “while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” We are dead in our trespasses and sin, but “God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ” (). And so Jesus came to save sinners.

Illustration: My coming to understand that I would never be good enough

How does Jesus save sinners?

Sinners need someone to save them

He redeems us from our slavery to sin,

Ephesians 1:7 ESV

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

He appeases God’s wrath for sin,

1 John 2:2 ESV

2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

He took on our sin so that we could live in His righteousness,

2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB95

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Jesus Christ saves all those sinners who put their faith in him. And when we put our faith and trust in him, we are made a new creation. Now that we are freed from sin we are able to live righteous and holy lives for God.

Sinners need to be saved from something

Illustration:

The last thing Paul reminds Timothy of is that the gospel is powerful, so powerful in fact, that it could even save him...

Application:

Paul, the foremost of sinners

How is Paul an example of this?

Paul saw himself as the of foremost sinners. Why does he say that? He says that because of what he did when he was Saul the Pharisee, when he heavily persecuted the church. Paul says in verse 13 that he was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Paul also says in that he is “the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because [he] persecuted the church of God.” Paul’s point, then, in saying that he is the foremost of sinners is to highlight God’s mercy toward sinners through Jesus Christ alone. Paul says in verse 16, “Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life.” In other words, if God showed mercy to Paul—a persecutor and violent aggressor against the church—then certainly He will show mercy to other sinners who have committed sins of a less offensive nature than Paul. Paul is saying to Timothy, there is no need to add the law to the gospel since the gospel is sufficient to save even me, the chief of sinners.

Illustration: There are some of you out there who may be thinking, “but you don’t know what I’ve done. There is no way God can forgive me.” But God can forgive you. Talk about Lupe and her refusal to believe that God could forgive her sin.

The really interesting thing to see here in verse 15, though, is that Paul is speaking in the present tense. Clearly Paul cannot mean that he still goes on sinning, because in , he makes the point there that if we’re believers in Jesus Christ, then we are dead to sin and therefore, cannot still continue to sin. So why does he say then “I am the foremost?” I can think of three reasons:

Paul is speaking in the present tense

Seeing himself as the foremost of sinners allows him to walk humbly in grace. By keeping his sin in the present, Paul can remain continuously thankful for what God has done through Jesus Christ in forgiving his sin. He can never take his salvation for granted if he continuously reminds himself of how bad a sinner he was and how great a savior Jesus is.

Seeing himself as the foremost of sinners reminds him of where he came from and how far he still has to go in the Christian life. Jesus Christ saved us from our sin and he continues to save us from our sin. Paul says in , “For by grace you have been saved through faith.” The verb translated “have been saved” is in the perfect tense, meaning it is an event that took place in the past which has abiding results that continue way into the future.

Seeing himself as the foremost of sinners enables him to see others in need of salvation. Paul writes in that “We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners.” His statement gives us some insight into how Jews viewed Gentiles. As the Apostle to the Gentiles, Paul had to go into cities adorned with pagan temples and full of people who worshiped idols and practiced sexual immorality. By seeing himself as the foremost of sinners, Paul put himself on par with those whom he was sent to share the faith. In other words, by viewing himself as the worst of sinners, he couldn’t look down on anyone or judge anyone. He had no room to talk.

Illustration:

Application

Paul reminded Timothy of the trustworthy statement, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, so that Timothy would be encouraged to fight the good fight. And this trustworthy statement helps us to fight the good fight as well.

No matter what is going on in our lives, it is encouraging to know that our savior can relate to us. According to , we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.

Just as Jesus came into the world as a light, He sends us into that same world to be lights in the darkness. In , Paul says we “were formerly darkness, but now [we] are Light in the Lord; walk as children of Light.” And Jesus prays to the Father in for our protection saying, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” (John 17:14-15).

Try saying that you are the foremost sinner. The reason that is so hard is because we tend to see ourselves as doing okay, as having it all together. By having the same attitude as Paul, we will be prepared to help others in need of salvation. It’s hard to judge others when we remember that at one time, we were no better off than they are. It’s easier to have compassion on those who are lost when we can say like Paul, that we are the foremost of sinners.

Try saying that you are the foremost sinner. We tend to see ourselves as doing okay, as having it all together. By having the same attitude as Paul, we will be prepared to help others in need of salvation.

If we believe in Jesus Christ then our sin is forgiven. But if we keep our forgiven sin in the forefront of our thought like Paul did, it provides a powerful motivator to continue to stand in the grace God gives through Jesus Christ. I’m not talking about remembering our sin so that we linger in guilt over it. I’m talking about remembering our sin so that we can remain constantly thankful for what God has done and so that Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross will always remain precious to us.

Try saying that you are the foremost sinner. The reason that is so hard is because we tend to see ourselves as doing okay, as having it all together. But, by having the same attitude as Paul, we will be prepared to help others in need of salvation. It’s hard to judge others when we remember that at one time, we were no better off than they are. It’s easier to have compassion on those who are lost when we can say like Paul, that we are the foremost of sinners.

Exhortation

Paul reminded Timothy of the trustworthy statement, that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, so that Timothy would be encouraged to fight the good fight.

I’ve always enjoyed Christmas. The smells of wood burning in the fireplace, of fresh pine from the Christmas tree, of cookies baking in the oven. Then there is the music which gets us into the spirit and the shopping for gifts which may dim our spirits. But even as an adult, I enjoy Christmas. And with kids, it’s even more enjoyable. Our kids like to get all of the Christmas stuff out and set it up on the day after Thanksgiving. So on Friday, I pulled all of the stuff out of the storage area under our stairs and I set up the tree so the kids could decorate it. They each have their own box of decorations and it’s fun to watch them open the box and get their decorations out. They’ll say stuff like, “Oh yeah, I remember that ornament.” And we have a Fisher Price nativity set that stays with the Christmas stuff and only comes out for Christmas, which our youngest son, Caleb, likes to take out and set up. He has such great joy with it for a couple of days, and then he kind of loses interest in it. Which is why we put it away at the end of Christmas and save it for the next year.

We can do the same thing with the gospel. When we first come to faith in Christ, we are blown away by the grace and mercy God shows us through Jesus Christ. We’re so happy to know that our sins are forgiven. But after awhile, we lose our awe and wonder for the gospel. But not the Apostle Paul. He is writing this letter years after his conversion on the road to Damascus and the experience is still fresh with him. I think if we’re going to have an impact in the culture around us, our salvation experience has to stay fresh for us as well. If we treat it as old news or ho hum, instead of the most incredible thing that has ever happened to us, then it’ll be hard for people to take us seriously when we try to share our faith. But if we treat our salvation like it happened yesterday and make it the most important thing that has ever happened in our lives, then think of the lights we’ll be in this dark world.

Christmas is the only time of year where Jesus is placed front and center in our country. I know there is Easter, but the country doesn’t take two weeks off for Easter and base its entire economy on it like it does for Christmas. There are likely going to be some people around us who will be wondering what Christmas is all about. What is the big deal? So what. A baby was born in Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. Why do we celebrate it? There are going to be people around us who will be asking, “What does this have to do with me?”

How will you answer? I hope it’s with a simple statement, that’s trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”

Related Media

Related Sermons