Sermon Tone Analysis

1 Tim 1:12-17 33 min

Verse 12

Well, my wife told my father-in-law that I preached for 1 hour and 19 minutes last Sunday.

He said that was 3 sermons and was wondering if the people would come back.

I see you all are here ...congratulations and thank you for your grace!

I bought a timer.

PRAY!!

* Paul is writing to Timothy, his disciple, his beloved and true son in the faith, his fellow missionary companion who is in Ephesus, a most difficult city to minister.

The city is steeped in worldly ways and idolatry, and Timothy is in charge of numerous house churches that could number into the thousands.

* Timothy seems to be hedging, and Paul tells him REMAIN... "I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God..."

Paul begins his letter straightaway addressing one reason Timothy should remain.

* You need to address the false teachers who are not teaching sound doctrine and charge or command them to teach only sound or healthy doctrine.

Interesting Transition:

Outline III Paul's Personal Experience of the Gospel and Personal Experience of Grace 1 Tim 1:12-17

* Paul now speaks on his own experience, and his thanks towards God for God's grace.

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord...

* I thank... "I have (that is, feel) gratitude."

-JFB

* the word thank is the Greek word charis...same word translated into "grace"

* Christ- Mission...Messiah...The Annointed One...Savior

* Jesus- name;

* Greek Iēsous (Yay-sous), in English Jesus

* Hebrew Yehoshua, in English Joshua "The LORD is salvation"

* Lord- title...Master or Authority

Why does Paul thank God?

* Because Paul knows he is no better than the men he just described as false teachers.

Paul was no better nor superior to the false teacher he described in the previous segment.

* God enabled Him and counted Paul faithful and put him into ministry.

* A matter of Grace.

* God's calling and God's grace is surprising.

Think of who Paul was when he was called.

Think of who you were when you were called.

When I think of who I was and how I was living and God called me anyhow, it causes me to praise God.

And, it caused Paul to praise God.

* Paul was thankful to God for God's grace.

There is not a shred of what Paul did for God, but what God did for Paul.

And, this causes Paul to exude thanks.

* Enabled: empowered or strengthened Paul.

* "It is not in my own strength that I bring this doctrine to men, but as strengthened and nerved by Him who saved me" [Theodoret- 5th Century Theologian/ Bishop of Cyrrhus].

* Counted faithful: Judged Paul faithful (ESV); considered me faithful (NASB)

* Paul was considered faithful not on account of Paul, but despite Paul.

God has all knowledge and could see far into the future to judge that Paul would be a faithful steward of the gospel.

* God knows everything about us as well.

He knows how to test us and stretch our faith, and draw out the dross or impurities in our lives.

God knows when to open the doors to calling in our lives, just as he knew the precise time to call Paul.

* Grace...again grace because Paul was on the road to Damascus when called.

* Putting me into the ministry: putting me into service (NASB) or appointing me to His service (ESV)

* Paul did not volunteer; he was drafted.

* Colossians 1:25 "Of this church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the word of God..."

* Tying it all together...

* Paul thanks God because it was God who called him to serve in ministry/appointed Him to God's service.

* And God who considered Paul faithful, when Paul was living just like false teachers, and worse.

* And God who gave Paul the strength to share the gospel throughout the known world.

* With all of these things considered, this is why Paul would write,

* "For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." 1 Co 15:9-10.

Verse 13

Reflection

* Paul now reflects on who he was in the past.

* He formerly was Saul...

* Same name as the 1st King of Israel.

Steeped in pride.

Holy Spirit departed him and he was rejected by God.

Who would name their child Saul?

* Just like king Saul was a terror on David's life, Saul of Tarsus persecuted the early church...

* Acts 8:3 "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering every house, and dragging off men and women, committing them to prison."

* Acts 9:1-2: "Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem."

* Before king Agrippa, Paul testified, Acts 26:9-11 "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.

10 This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them.

11 And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities."

* In just a few verses, vs 15 of 1 Tim 1, Paul will tell Timothy he was the "chief of sinners."

* "Formerly"...not now, but the old man, not the person who has been born again spiritually.

* Some people hold onto the old person and continue to condemn themselves.

* Some people run from God thinking there is no way they can be forgiven.

* Ps 103:12 "As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us."

* Rom 8:1 "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit."

* A saved believer in Christ has no divine condemnation regarding sin.

If the divine does not condemn you, who are you, being the creation of the divine, to condemn yourself?

* Spurgeon "After Paul was saved, he became a foremost saint.

The Lord did not allot him a second-class place in the church.

He had been the leading sinner, but his Lord did not, therefore, say, 'I save you, but I shall always remember your wickedness to your disadvantage.'

Not so: he counted him faithful, putting him into the ministry and into the apostleship, so that he was not a whit behind the very chief of the apostles.

Brother, there is no reason why, if you have gone very far in sin, you should not go equally far in usefulness."

* Formerly...

* Blasphemer- Against God- slandered or spoke evil about Jesus and Christians.

* Persecutor-Against Holy people... he put Christians to death because he thought they were a threat to Judaism.

* Insolent Man- violent aggressor...with arrogant contempt of others...

* That's who Paul was...

* Notice Despite Paul being a murderer, and slandering the name of Jesus...he Obtained Mercy because...

* because he did it ignorantly in unbelief...

* Paul's blasphemy, persecution, and violence were the fruits of unbelief.

* Because Paul did not believe in Jesus evil fruit resulted in his life.

* Same fruit today with people who come against Jesus and Christians

* Yet, despite his unbelief, God still bestowed mercy on Paul.

* God had pity on Paul.

Paul was guilty and deserved punishment, but God showed mercy and withheld judgment...

* ...because Paul committed these crimes against God and against Christians ignorantly or without knowledge and without belief...

* I don't want you to think that ignorance means one is forgiven, because it does not.

* Rom 1:18-21 clearly teach man is without excuse because creation itself testifies that God exists, but people are wicked and deny the truth of God's existence.

* Simplified NLT: "18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.