Christ: The Greatest Gift (1 Tim. 1:15)

If you will I want you to picture a perfect garden where nothing was amiss. Where everything was in perfection. All was well and good. There was no bitter struggle for who would be the leader. All were submitted to God.

Then a serpent crept in and destroyed this perfection with deception.

There was punishment for mankind from this failing. We were separated from God and work became difficult and struggle and desire for who would lead came about.

Death entered and has been a plague to us since. Yet, even in this time of defeat and despair hope was given.

God told the woman and the serpent that Gen. 3:15

Genesis 3:15 ESV

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

This is the first stating of the gospel. This is a blessing and a promise for us. This is the amazing grace and love of our God and Father.

Now picture if you will a people who have abandoned their God and went into a foreign land. They were not trusting God but themselves to make a way.

They endured terrible loss and finally only the widow and one of her widowed daughters-in-law returned to the land the Lord had given them.

The daughter-in-law was a foreigner who was not supposed to marry a national child of God. She was not to be there in the land but as a servant.

She was not wanted nor was she deserving of any blessing from the people.

Yet, we see the landowner giving her more than was commanded in the law. He was ordering all his laborers to leave behind rows and not just gleanings. He was blessing a people who were not the elect or called of God.

The man was the relative of the mother-in-law but not the daughter-in-law. Yet the man was a redeemer. He was giving grace to an outsider and reaching out to her.

She went to him and lay at his feet showing that she was needing his covering and protection. She was wanting to be under his shelter. He had extended his grace to her and she came to him in humility desiring that grace.

He gave her more than she deserved in saying he would do what was necessary to fulfill the obligation of redeeming her when he gave her large quantities of essentials to live.

The man went to the fullest extent to redeem the woman. He made all sacrifices necessary and redeemed a foreigner that was supposed to be nothing to the people.

Boaz brought redemption to Ruth and Naomi and as such was a picture of Christ redeeming those inside as God’s chosen people and those outside.

That is what this text we will read in a moment is about. In it we see that Christ came, He is the gift, and He came for all just as the narrative of Ruth and Boaz demonstrates for us.

Let us look at 1 Tim. 1:15

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

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.

We see in this...

Christ Came into the World

He came into the world. He the High King of Heaven the Son of God, the glorious one; He came into this fallen broken world for us.

This is the reason for this time of year. This is what we celebrate here and now.

Do not let anyone make you feel as if Christmas is based off a pagan holiday and what we do is dishonoring to God. We are celebrating the birth and coming of the glorious Son of God who came to give His life a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).

Jesus is 2 Cor. 9:15 this inexpressible gift.

2 Corinthians 9:15 ESV

Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

Jesus came for us. He did not have too nor did He need too. He came because God is a God of grace and love. God desires all to be saved and be redeemed.

God desires us to all be like Ruth and seek our shelter under Him not ourselves.

We see in many passages from the OT that Satan tried to thwart His coming.

He worked to cause a divided Kingdom. He caused David to fail in many ways. Solomon failed in many ways. The Davidic line was nearly destroyed off had it not been for the quick thinking and ingenuity of one woman (2 Kings 11:1-3

2 Kings 11:1–3 ESV

Now when Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all the royal family. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the king’s sons who were being put to death, and she put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Thus they hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not put to death. And he remained with her six years, hidden in the house of the Lord, while Athaliah reigned over the land.

Satan tried more and more by leading many other kings into idolatry and major sin. He fought hard to deceive and cause Christ to not be able to come into the world as God had promised he would.

But come He did. He came in a lowly way by two lowly humble righteous people.

They were not people of means or money but they were God’s chosen people for the purpose of bringing Christ into the world.

Christ came into the world and was made known to lowly people first, not magisterial people but shepherds.

Luke 2:8-14 tells the tale of the shepherds out in the field and the angels announcing Christ to them.

Luke 2:14 tells us that the angels said

Luke 2:14 NASB95

“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

This means that there is no one who is too far from God. This means that there are none who are too low or not good enough for the Lord. All people are able to know Him and revel in His glory. We are all capable and desired by Him. We just need to be as Ruth was and go to the one offering grace. We need to be as the shepherds were and go to Him when told of Him. We need to believe and receive Him who came into the world.

We do because...

Christ Came as The Gift

As the Gift He came to give salvation to all who believe.

He did not come just to come but to offer something to all people if they would just receive it.

Sinners can be righteous now because of Christ. He came for all and He came to save all. We just need to believe in Him and know that He did this for us.

He left glory for us. He became lowly for us. He laid aside all His majesty and Phil. 2:6-7

Philippians 2:6–7 ESV

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.

He came as one of us to save us. He had to be a man who was like us in every way to save us.

He was like us in every way and was tempted in every way like us but He was different than us in He never sinned He was perfect and pure.

He was this perfect sinless man who came for you and me. This is the fulfilling of the promise of Genesis 3:15. Jesus is the seed of woman who came and has crushed the head of the serpent.

He did this in His dying at the cross. Satan felt he won but Christ rose again and proved only He can be the savior promised. He won the victory and as such offers this gift to us all.

He is truly the indescribable gift for all humanity. He came into this broken world to save those who broke it and those who have rejected Him.

Those like Naomi and her family when they left the land to a foreign land rather than trusting the Lord. They left Him but He drew them back and from them brought about the Lord Jesus Christ.

What is even more amazing is the lineage God used to bring Christ through.

In Matt. 1:1-7 we see

Matthew 1:1–7 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,

Abraham failed and lied a few times in major ways not just white lies. He also failed to fully trust and have faith and had a child with another woman that was not the way God said the promise would come.

Isaac showed partiality to Esau over Jacob. He loved Esau the rugged outdoorsman of the family more than the smooth skinned skinny jean wearing latte sipping mommas boy Jacob. This caused a rift and deception where Jacob deceived Esau and conned him into giving away his birthright. Then he deceived Isaac and received Esau’s blessing rather than trusting God to bless him as his mother had been told.

Judah sold a brother into slavery. Illegitimately impregnated a daughter-in-law and tried to have her offed until it was revealed it was him who did it.

Rahab was a harlot and of a foreign nation. Ruth was of a foreign nation and not of the pure breeding of Israel.

David committed sever adultery and murder not only of Uriah but of many other men on the front lines by having his commanding officer put them there so Uriah would die.

Solomon was the wisest man but when he focused on the world rather than the Lord he faltered into idolatry and polygamy. He made terrible mistakes and egregious sins.

Yet, through all these people, God brought the savior of the world. He used broken and failed people to show He was greater than all the failings. He is greater than any of your failings and He can heal the brokenness in you.

He came to save sinners and if you think you are too far gone you need to realize...

All Can Receive His Gift

Paul the foremost sinner was saved. Paul felt he was the worst sinner because of his failings and persecutions. He was called to serve and glorify God out from that sin and failings.

Paul had murdered or had murdered numerous believers all in the name of the Lord.

Yet, God called him through Christ to be His apostle to the nations and many people were and will be saved by his work.

Here is where the indescribable gift of the Lord Jesus coming into the world is so awesome and indescribable:

YOU ARE NOT TOO FAR GONE TO BE SAVED.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners who You may say you are the chief of.

Well guess what? He came for you too. He came to give you life eternal. He came as the light of the world. John 1:4-5

John 1:4–5 ESV

4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

Darkness is forced out by Him. When you shine a light in a dark place, the darkness flees. It cannot resist the light but it leaves.

This is Christ in the world. He is the light and as the light darkness cannot stand against Him. As He told Peter in Matt. 16:18

Matthew 16:18 ESV

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The darkness cannot defeat Him because He is the Light. He is the true light and as such He can retrieve you out of the darkness. He came to save sinners and you are one as am I, but He can save you and cleanse you so God the Father sees only His righteousness on you. He will only see the perfection of Christ on you.

The light shines bright when it is the darkest. Maybe it is the darkest for you now. If so let this candle lighting demonstrate how in darkness one light can cut through. [Light candles now as they are lighting let the room be quiet then continue with this].

These lights show just how powerful light is over darkness. That is Jesus in this dark and lonely and weary world. He is the light and as such He can remove the darkness.

Jesus can do this for you if you will let Him. He came to save sinners and nothing Satan could do to stop it worked. Satan failed and he will fail to hold you if you will but receive the Light of Life that is in Jesus Christ.

Tat is what He came for. He came for you and He came to give you the greatest gift ever, Life Everlasting with Him in glory if you will just believe.

Conclusion

I want to conclude with communion.

1 Cor. 11:23-26

1 Corinthians 11:23–26 ESV

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.