Rejoicing in God’s Grace- 1 Timothy 1:12-20

In the London Confession of Faith, we read this about worship:

“Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one part of natural worship, is by God required of all men. But that it may be accepted, it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of the Spirit, according to his will; with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love, and perseverance; and when with others, in a known tongue. ( Psalms 95:1-7; Psalms 65:2; John 14:13, 14; Romans 8:26; 1 John 5:14; 1 Corinthians 14:16, 17 )” London Confession of Faith 22:3

This prayer with thanksgiving is to take place in the church. It is the church’s privilege to pray and praise God. It is fitting. Like a tool used it for its purpose, praise is the Christian’s right response to God’s grace in his or her life.

Imagine taking a stroll downtown near a busy intersection. You watch as a young man, walking with his phone, attempts to cross the street. He is distracted by his phone and does not see the car speeding toward him. A bystander sees what is about to happen and runs and saves the young man from certain death.

We would expect the young man to, at the very least, thank the bystander. Yet, the young man looks angrily at the bystander and tells them to leave them alone.

We are shocked. Doesn’t the young man know that had the bystander not intervened he would have certainly perished? We would be angry, too, for the very least he could do is to say thank you.

The Christian, saved by God’s glorious grace, should spend his or her life thanking God for His goodness and forgiveness. But after God has rescued us, not from a speeding car, but from:

weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matt. 8:12)

wailing (Matt. 13:42)

darkness (Matt. 25:30)

flames (Luke 16:24)

everlasting fire (Matt. 25:41)

Or, to put it in the Confession’s wording,

“the wicked, who do not know God, and do not obey the Gospel of Jesus Christ, shall be cast aside into everlasting torments, and punished with everlasting destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.”—London Confession of Faith, 32:2.

Oh, we have been delivered from eternal damnation! What should our response be? We should rejoice in God’s grace! That is, our entire lives should be expressions of thankfulness for the wonderful grace of God. Perhaps you have fallen away from this posture of thankfulness. Perhaps you have grown cold in your relationship with the Lord. If this is you, then Paul’s words will prove helpful, as they will remind us of just how amazing God’s grace is.

You may think to yourself, there is no way God could save someone like me. Yes there is! But you don’t know what I’ve done, you may object. I may not, but God does, and you will see that God’s grace is more than abundant for your sins.

My prayer is that we will all, with exuberance, rejoice in God’s grace this morning.

I. Paul Remembered His Past- 1:12-14

Paul rejoices at God’s deliverance. He remembers the Lord’s graciousness. Notice how Paul describes himself: a blasphemer and a persecutor and an insolent opponent. He blasphemed Jesus Messiah. He persecuted Messiah’s followers. Paul was there the day Stephen died (Acts 8:1). Saul was “ravaging the church, entering house after house, and dragging off men and women, he would put them in prison. (Acts 8:3). I imagine every-time Paul led someone to the Lord, when he saw tears of joy at God’s forgiveness running down his new brother’s or sister’s cheeks, he would think of Christians, begging to be let go, crying.

What sins describe you? What were you formerly? A liar? Adulterer or adulteress? Murderer? Doubter? What sins are there? Are you saved? Then that is you formerly. That is you BC, before Christ. Don’t be held back because of your past. Remember these gracious words, Psalm 103:10-12 [RED TAB]

Remember your past, but don’t dwell there. Remember Christ’s grace! I was a persecutor, Paul says, but the grace of the Lord was more than abundant. Paul would say in Romans 5:20, “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound!”

Oh, rejoice in God’s grace, you who were delivered from the wrath to come! Rejoice in God’s grace, as God, the righteous judge of all the earth, judges you not guilty in Christ!

II. Paul Magnified Christ’s Work- 1:15-16

How could Paul simply be forgiven? Because of Christ’s work. It is all of God’s grace. Jesus Christ came into the world for the very purpose of saving people just like Paul. What a glorious Christ He is! Paul says, “I am the chief of sinners.” But brothers and sisters, I am the chief of sinners. You are the chief of sinners.

Rejoice in Christ’s work! God saved Paul, who was persecuting Christians (Acts 9:1-9). He would later write in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The Lord is patient, Paul says, and what a wonderful reminder to us that while someone may seem beyond grace, God is patient. You have a loved one who does not believe, keep praying for them! God is patient, and He came to save sinners.

III. Paul Worshipped the I AM- 1:17

This is a parentheses, if you will. Paul was writing this letter to Timothy and became overwhelmed at the Lord’s grace in His life. Paul is overwhelmed at the grace of this great God! Dwell on Who God is and you will find enough reasons to praise Him for His grace. As you stand amazed at his grace, remember He is eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God. That is the God who displayed his rich grace!

IV. Paul Recruited Timothy- 1:18-19a

God’s grace is never meant to be for the individual alone. He has called out a people. He is building His church. He uses pastors in His church to build the church up, and Timothy is one of those pastors in Ephesus.

Pastors are defenders of the flock, they find and attack false doctrines and teachings. They warn the sheep. Paul reminds Timothy of his command to fight the good fight of faith. We are in a war. Paul tells us, “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers of darkness, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) We are not fighting against people, were are fighting against the Devil and his minions.

We fight against bad doctrine and bad lifestyles, the two things we discussed last Sunday. Timothy was to fight the good of faith by keeping faith (staying true to biblical doctrine) an a good conscience (a life that is Christlike). We typically lean toward one way or the other. There are some of you who are excellent at doctrine, but you do not have a good conscience. While there are others of you who ignore doctrine and have a good conscience. These are not mutually exclusive, nor are they able to function without the other. They are two sides of the same coin. Rejoice in God’s grace in giving us other believers!

V. Paul Ejected the Problem- 1:19b-20

Finally, Paul ejected the problem. He practiced church discipline. Hymenaus and Alexander are two of those certain men (1:3) made shipwreck of their faith. They drifted, and we noted that last week. Major changes in doctrines hardly happen overnight. They usually happen over years. They, like a ship, simply drifted into the rocky shore.

Beware of your life and doctrine! A good church disciplines those who violate the Word of God. 1 Cor. 5: 1-5 and 2 Cor. 2:5-11 demonstrates the restorative effect of church discipline.