1 Timothy 1:12-17 | Give Thanks and Glorify

If you have a Bible, go grab it and open it to the book of 1 Timothy. Last week, we were able to look at Paul addressing his son Timothy, encouraging him to stay faithful and continue on. Now he continues to build on his letter by talking about himself. As he talks about himself, he is able to remind Timothy of the main things that matter, beginning with the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

So we'll be looking at 1 Timothy, chapter 1, verses 12 through 17. If you don't have a Bible, there's a pew Bible right in front of you. If you don't own a Bible and you'd like to have one, that would be our gift to you. We would love for you to take that home and have a copy of God's Word that you could read. But we'll be looking at 1 Timothy, chapter 1, verses 12 through 17. And it says this:

I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry— even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. — 1 Timothy 1:12-17 (CSB)

Let's pray. Lord, even now, as we hear the words that "this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance," we know that the enemy continues to rage to block us from believing this. We know that our own sin clouds our judgment and our trust. So we ask this morning that your Spirit will come, fill our hearts, open our eyes to see, to delight, and to believe this saying: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. We pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

Affirmations vs. The Gospel

This morning, there are going to be tens of thousands of Americans looking at themselves in the mirror and saying these words: "I am worthy. I am enough. I am kind to myself, and I believe in myself." The practice of daily affirmations has taken over, an evolution from Robert Schuller and the "Hour of Power" and positive thinking, and even prosperity gospel thinking like Joel Osteen—they've just taken the Christ out of it. Tony Robbins and other self-helpers encourage you to stand in front of the mirror and categorize yourself into believing that you're worth something, that you can be somebody, that you're someone worthy of respect, that you're kind to yourself, that you believe in yourself.

And those words carry weight; words affect what you believe. But let's be honest, sometimes—and probably a lot of the time—reality can't carry the weight of our words. "I am healthy" gets shattered by McDonald's. "I am kind" gets shattered by hurt that you caused. "I believe in myself" gets shattered by proof that we aren't strong enough, consistent enough, or good enough. The mirror of our fragile egos gets shattered by the rock of reality. If you believe in yourself, you will shatter yourself.

What about God's words? We believe that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's what it says right there in verse 15. We believe the gospel, the good news. But let's be honest, a lot of the time reality doesn't seem to line up with the words that we read or with the words that we sing. Can Christ really overcome our decaying health? Can Christ overcome our broken world? Can Christ overcome our sin?

Well, this morning Paul wants to remind Timothy, and by extension you and I, the trustworthiness of the very foundation of what we believe. He wants us to trust the gospel. That's the main idea for our sermon this morning: to trust the gospel. And Paul really develops this confidence; he wants to build up our trust in the gospel by overviewing three things: First, the saying—the saying that's trustworthy and true. Second, he reminds you of the example, being himself—the example. And lastly, the response that we should have in light of this saying that we believe in.

The Trustworthy Saying

Let's start with point number one, the saying. Look again at verse 15, right there in the middle of the passage. It says:

This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. — 1 Timothy 1:15 (CSB)

Paul doesn't beat around the bush. He states the very core of Christianity: that at the heart of what we believe isn't a manual of proverbs about moral living, isn't vague Christianese or ambiguous spiritual sayings. The heart of Christianity is a saying, it's a quote, it's a message, an announcement of something that happened: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." It's the very heart of the gospel.

This isn't something that you do to earn salvation. This isn't tips for how to live a fulfilled life. This isn't an eightfold path or five pillars for you to live your life by. This isn't even ten commandments for you and I to obey. At the very heart of the gospel, it's truth, not tips, because commands can change behavior but not belief.

See, the primary problem with our souls isn't motivation. My job up here is not to be a motivational speaker to try to inspire you to get up and do something, because that's not the primary issue. The issue isn't our motivation; it's our depravity, our sinful state. You and I are completely sinful. We've rebelled against a holy God. We're born into this world already sinful, and we prove it every single day with our selfishness, our indifference and disobedience in our actions. What we do, the proof that we create, spawns guilt inside of us.

If we were to take time to think about our guilt, like, have you ever felt guilty? I mean, like, really guilty? I'm not talking about the dog that looks ashamed of himself after knocking over a vase in the house. I'm talking about real shame. See, humans experience guilt more viscerally than any other being in the world. Guilt doesn't just speak to the cookie jar, but to things that no one else sees—to our search history, things that no one will ever find out about. Have you ever wondered why humans have an inner voice of what's right while simultaneously knowing that we don't live up to our own standards? I'm sure all of us can think of different things every day where we know that we didn't do the right thing. That voice speaks to us, not from the outside, but from within us.

We can try to drown out that voice. We can read all the books about self-acceptance, practicing self-affirmations, trying to categorize and brainwash yourself into believing that you're better than you really are. But when you look at yourself in the mirror, does that guilt really ever go away? And more importantly, what if that guilty voice inside of you was right? The Bible teaches that we all have built into the very being at our core the understanding that we were meant for something greater, to bring honor and glory to our God in heaven. And whenever we fall out of line with God's good purpose and command for us, we do what Christians would consider to be sin. We disobey the Lord.

But even though we may think that we can sin in private, even though we might think that everything's okay so long as it doesn't harm anyone else, God is able to see every single evil action that we do. He sees every evil intention in our heart, and no amount of self-love or acceptance can quiet that inner voice. It can't wipe away sin's stain. See, you can't deny the truth. At the end of the day, we're all sinners, we're guilty. All of us deserve to be sentenced to death, and none of us can save ourselves.

The good news of the gospel, though, is that this saying doesn't start with us, but it begins with Christ Jesus. It doesn't say that *we* come into the world. The world is not an arena to prove our own holiness. The gospel is not about you. It's about another person. Christ Jesus came into the world, and when he came into the world, he didn't have a sinful nature. In fact, he never sinned at all. We were faithless, but Christ was faithful. Christ's conscience never cried out about his guilt because he never had anything to be guilty about. He followed the Lord faithfully his entire life. But the voice that would call him guilty wouldn't be his inner conscience, but the outer crowds, crying out to crucify him, and he was punished as though he were a criminal. On the cross, God poured out the punishment that you and I deserved on his shoulders, and he died. But three days later, he rose from the dead, declaring sinners innocent by his blood, purchasing that payment in full.

That's the good news of the gospel: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And that was God's plan from the beginning. That was his intent. Jesus came into the world for the purpose of dying for sinners. It's not like Jesus showed up and we pulled a fast one on him. That was his intention. He came into the world from the cradle in order to go to the cross. And that's the good news.

Have you received this saying, this trustworthy, reliable, worthy saying? It's deserving of all acceptance. In other words, everyone should believe in this. If you're here this morning and you don't believe in the gospel, you could turn from your sin right now and trust in Christ for salvation and accept this truth: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. J.I. Packer writes that "the central confession that God saves sinners... that Christ redeemed us by his blood is witness both of the Bible and the believing heart." It's the center of our confession that God saves sinners. Do you believe that? Do you actually believe that?

Yes, we know that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Sure, everyone in this room has heard this message before. Lord willing, so long as I'm here at this church, you will hear that message every single week. But can this saying stand up against the guilty voice inside of our hearts? The gospel gets drowned out by our guilty conscience. Yes, Jesus came into the world to save sinners, but did he come into the world to save *this* sinner? What about *these* sinners?

The problem is our sin can't be overcome by our own strength, our own knowledge, or even our own will. All of us know what it's like to go to church, sing songs, hear a sermon, go home, and continue to grapple with your guilt. Everyone has guilt. It's not wrong; often it's accurate. But guilt can then drive us to doubt, to doubt God's goodness and grace. And that kind of doubt pushes us away from Christ, not towards him. And that's precisely why Paul seems to underline the reliability of the truth that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He could have just said it. He could have just said the words, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." But like a good Father, Paul understands our hearts, and the Holy Spirit as our comforter chooses to underline the reliability of this truth by preceding its words with reassurance that "this saying is trustworthy and deserving." It's worthy of all acceptance. In other words, you can bank on this.

Paul: An Example of Mercy

And to underline and italicize the truth that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, Paul points to himself as proof. Not that he's awesome, not as a saint, but as a sinner. In fact, the worst of sinners, which brings us to point number two: the example.

Paul identifies himself as the "worst of sinners" in verse 15. But what exactly made Paul so bad that he'd be willing to call himself the worst of sinners? Sometimes we throw that phrase around as though it's just some kind of, like, you know, concession, like, "Yeah, I know I'm bad too. I'm the worst." Is that what Paul means when he says that he's the worst of sinners? No, I think Paul actually was really, really bad, as told by the way that Paul describes himself in his B.C. days, his before-Christ days.

There in verse 13, look at the first half there. He says that the Lord considered him faithful, appointed to the ministry, and then in verse 13:

even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. — 1 Timothy 1:13 (CSB)

A blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. It's hard to think of three words to better describe Paul before Christ. Let's just start with the idea that Paul was a blasphemer. We may not take this as seriously today. People use "Jesus Christ" as a statement of surprise. We invoke the name of God whenever we stub a toe. But blasphemy is a massive deal. It should still be a massive deal today. In Exodus 20, verse 7, in the Ten Commandments, God says:

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. — Exodus 20:7 (CSB)

There's a footnote? No, that's not in the fine print of Christian obedience. That's in the Ten Commandments. And God states that he personally will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. Anytime God is blasphemed, he is being mocked. He is being disrespected. And this statement isn't just in theory, either. This isn't codified law that never gets enforced. This actually happened in the Old Testament. So I just want you to turn back in your Bible and go to Leviticus 24. Leviticus 24, I'll be reading from verse 10 to 16. I'll jump down a paragraph after that. So this is Israel in the wilderness, and this actually happens.

Now the son of an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father was among the Israelites. A fight broke out in the camp between the Israelite woman’s son and an Israelite man. Her son cursed and blasphemed the Name, and they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, a daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan.) They put him in custody until the Lord’s decision could be made clear to them. Then the Lord spoke to Moses: “Bring the one who has cursed to the outside of the camp and have all who heard him lay their hands on his head; then have the whole community stone him. And tell the Israelites: If anyone curses his God, he will bear the consequences of his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord must be put to death; the whole community is to stone him. If he blasphemes the Name, he is to be put to death, whether the resident alien or the native. — Leviticus 24:10-16 (CSB)

Then verse 23:

After Moses spoke to the Israelites, they brought the one who had cursed to the outside of the camp and stoned him. So the Israelites did as the Lord had commanded Moses. — Leviticus 24:23 (CSB)

Does that sound extreme to get pelted to death with stones because of a slip of your tongue? It's ironic, some of us won't tolerate the disrespect of our favorite athlete or our favorite celebrity. We'll be tolerating the disrespect of God. Some of us are even willing to throw punches if someone says something about your mother. After all, your love for your loved one fuels your zeal for your loved one. And to insult is to profane or to stain the good name of something that you love. And how much more for the God of the universe? To use God's name as an exaggeration or exclamation or profanity is to insult him. Some people fuse the name of the greatest being of all with the greatest condemnation; by doing so, they stain the good name of love itself.

The irony is that if anyone understood this, if anyone understood that blasphemy was bad, was evil, it should have been Paul. He was a Jew, and a zealous Jew. One would even say a perfect Jew. You know who called himself a perfect Jew? Paul did in Philippians 3. Let me just read his "flex" on himself:

although I have reasons for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee; regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless. — Philippians 3:4-6 (CSB)

Imagine calling yourself that: "I am blameless." To be able to unironically call yourself perfect. Paul was the most rule-following, most zealous, most blameless Jew. How in the world can he call himself a blasphemer? Because he hated Jesus. His passion for the law, his confidence in his own ability, fueled his zeal for Christian blood. Acts chapter 9, very first verse, says that Paul was:

still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. He went to the high priest — Acts 9:1 (CSB)

He, Paul, in his blasphemous zeal for his God, persecuted the church. He felt like it was his righteous duty. In fact, when you look at Stephen, the very first martyr of the church, getting killed for his faith, Paul is there in Acts chapter 8, looking over everything that's happening and approving of Stephen's death. And later, when stopped by Jesus on the Damascus road, Jesus asks Paul:

Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” — Acts 9:4 (CSB)

See, Paul, out of zeal for the Lord, was breathing murder against all who followed Jesus. And he thought that he was a soldier, a knight for the Lord's army, and it turned out that he was actually a murder-breathing dragon. Because to be wholly devoted, zealous, even blameless in your worship of a God that's against Jesus, even if he bears the name of the Lord of Yahweh, is to worship a false god. And it is fealty to a false god Paul persecutes the church, puts them to death. He was confident that he was right. This is the negative peak, the apex of arrogance, of hatred, of murder, of blasphemy. This is the depth—the opposite of the heights—the depth of arrogance, self-righteous pride, with murder-breathing zeal in the name of a Jesus-denying God. Paul should be first in line headed for hell. If there's an example of a sinner, it would be Paul.

Overflowing Grace and Patience

And this Paul received mercy. Why in the world would this hellish man receive mercy from a heavenly God? Not because he was good, but precisely because he was so evil. Let's keep reading in verse 13:

even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. — 1 Timothy 1:13-14 (CSB)

Paul receives mercy because he acted out of ignorance. Now this verse here isn't excusing Paul. This isn't saying that Paul is innocent or received a second chance because he just didn't know or because he was ignorant. That's not what this is talking about. I remember watching a clip from a secular comedian who was talking about an actual conversation he had with a Christian missionary who said if he turned from his sin and trusted Christ, he was headed for hell. And he said, "What about all my friends who never heard the gospel back home from where I'm from? What happens to all the people in the world that don't get to hear the good news?" And the missionary incorrectly responded, "They will still go to heaven because they never had the opportunity to hear the gospel," to which the comedian astutely responded, "Well, if that's the case, why in the world did you tell me?"

If Paul was saved because he didn't know, then you shouldn't know. The best thing to do is to close your ears and walk in ignorance forever. We know that's not what Paul means here. Paul is not absolving himself of responsibility. He's not saying that Jesus is looking at him with pity, like, "Oh man, I know you didn't really mean it." He knows exactly what he deserves before a holy and righteous God. His ignorance and unbelief isn't being used to excuse his sin; it's being used to explain why he needed mercy. Why did he need mercy? Because he was ignorant, because he didn't know. And the root issue for Paul is not *what* he did, but *where* the actions came from. He acted out of ignorance in unbelief. The root issue for Paul isn't that he's a good guy who happened to do bad things. Paul is saying, "I'm the problem." He was ignorant. He didn't believe that the primary problem of every human being isn't your behavior; it's your belief. And all of his actions were proof of who he actually was, what he believed. He didn't believe in God because of his unbelieving heart. He acted out of ignorance. He was a sinner.

And Christ doesn't respond to Paul's sin with condemnation, but with mercy. Paul receives forgiveness, and he is spared from the punishment that he deserved. He's saved not because of something that he earned, but because he was in need. Paul is saying, "I was a vacuous hole," and Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Are you a sinner? All the fitness that he required is for you to feel your need of him. He offers you forgiveness this morning, and more than that, he offers grace—goodness that you don't deserve. And that grace overflows. It's amazing.

No matter how deep the depths of Paul's depravity, no matter how dark, how low he went in his life, no matter all the evil things that he would do, no matter him saying that he hit the floor of depravity in sin, that Christ would so fill those depths that his heart's abyss would turn into a geyser of grace. It overflows in Paul. He receives more grace than he would ever need. His heart overflows with the faith, the belief, and the love that's in Christ. Jesus is a fountain from which every blessing flows. This grace pours out towards the sinner. All you have to do is to feel your need and go to him. Will this day be the day of your salvation? Will you drink from this fountain? Don't let past ignorance ignore you or hold you back from this present truth: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

But sometimes the wall that blocks us, that damns us from going to the fountain, isn't our belief in God but our unbelief in ourself: "Would Christ really save me?" And how can you know that? Jesus doesn't give daily affirmations for you to repeat to yourself. He doesn't even point to himself and look at you and say, "Hey, why don't you be more like me? Why don't you just practice the stuff that I do and live your life like me? You can totally do it. I can become your personal spiritual trainer because I believe in you." Jesus doesn't do any of that. Instead, to show his grace to you, he points to someone worse than you. He points to Paul.

Look at what he says at the end of verse 15 there, and verse 16:

This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. — 1 Timothy 1:15-16 (CSB)

Paul was the valedictorian of sinners, and he receives mercy so that Christ may demonstrate his extraordinary patience. Jesus is completely, continually patient. God had every ability to smite Paul off the face of the earth. Christ had every ability to walk away and give up on this blaspheming, persecuting, prideful man. I mean, think about this: think about every single day of Paul's life—24 hours, 24 hours, 24 hours, morning and evening, morning and evening—that Paul went around killing Christians, spewing murder, persecuting Christ himself. And every single second, Christ was exercising complete patience. And Christ patiently saves him and strengthens him for the work of the gospel.

I mean, verse 12 says that Paul was appointed for the ministry, found faithful, strengthened by Christ for the work. How do you go from being a blasphemer, persecutor, and an arrogant man to a faithful minister of the gospel? Not by a seminary, but by Christ's strength, by Christ's grace, and by Christ's patience. And it is extraordinary patience. This is a total spiritual makeover. And it happens suddenly in this conversion, continually in sanctification, and then completely in his glorification, as he strengthened by Christ's grace day by day to continue to follow Christ, continue to serve, continue to preach.

I mean, can you imagine what a testimony Paul's life must have been? How drastic, how startling of a shift this must have been? I mean, can you imagine being Stephen in heaven, after boldly proclaiming the gospel, after seeing Christ as you look ahead, standing at the right hand of the Father, crying out as you're stoned to death, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them," and then being received into the arms of your Savior? And then in the reward of your Master in glory, as you're standing in glory, you turn, and you see that very same Savior who received you, turn to save the very man who approved of your execution. Every single stone that was hurled at your head was sign, sealed, and delivered by Saul. Imagine seeing Paul in heaven after all the things that he did to you. Talk about surprise! That might even be awkward, unless you're just in shock that *you* made it too.

We're all the worst of sinners. We can try to make ourselves feel better by comparing ourselves to the next guy or by running from God's commands, but that guilty conscience inside of you will still scream from within you. We can hear the saying, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners," and doubt and guilt will continue to scream, "But now you, you, are too far gone. Christ Jesus would never take you." Sure, Christ would save others. He might even be merciful to those that the world will look down on, but no one as pitiful as you. And that doubt will fill your heart with dread, with trembling fear. There isn't a sinner in the world who doesn't doubt. We know this saying, but we still have a shivering suspicion that we might be beyond God's reach.

And Christ, in his kindness, gives us a living parable, an example, an anchor for our hope to look at the premier test case of Paul. The most extreme, the most sickly sinner being healed by the great physician. I mean, just look at the length of God's grace. Look at Christ above you in all his majesty and holiness, and look at Paul below you. Look at the condescension of the Savior and the ascension of the sinner. Is there anyone out of God's reach? Never.

And if Paul seems too distant to you, all you need to do is look around at the other people in this room. This church is full of sinners. I'm the worst. And if you think that you are, you're probably right too. All of us came to Christ with the darkest darkness in our hearts, and Christ overflowed with faith and love. That's why we remind each other every Sunday, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." That's why we look around when we join church, we deliberately take responsibility for every single person. As we look at them in their eyes, we're affirming, "They believe this, and they believe this about me too: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." That's why we celebrate baptism and the Lord's Supper. As we look up to Christ and look around at each other, these are tangible reminders that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This saying is trustworthy and is deserving of all acceptance. And if you just need proof, look around.

An Eternal Response of Praise

And this message is so staggering, so life-altering, that it is deserving, worthy of all trust, and it's worthy of all praise. This brings us to the last point, the response. Paul begins and ends this section with a response to the Lord God. He begins in verse 12, giving thanks to Christ, and he ends in verse 17, erupting into praise. Let me read verse 17 for us:

Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. — 1 Timothy 1:17 (CSB)

This plan is so glorious, so inconceivable, it could have only come from one source. It could have only come from an eternal God. That the Almighty King, eternally existing, never changing, transcendent, absolutely singular—there is no one like him—that that God weaved together this plan. And if he is the one who put the universe into motion and he's the one who put together this plan of salvation, then you can completely put all the weight of your doubt and expectations on his shoulders and say that this saying is worthy of all acceptance: "Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners."

There is no other affirmation you need. There is no other pick-me-up like the truth that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And the one who signed that check is the eternal God of the entire universe. Think about it: the eternal God, in his eternal plan, gives us eternal salvation forever and ever. And that good news, that eternal saying, should lead us to eternal praise. We will honor and glorify our God forever and ever with ever-increasing, ever-deepening appreciation and joy and love. Because there is nothing left for us to do. The privilege of the Christian is to be able to delight in God's blessings towards you and showing you amazing grace for the rest of your life. You get to praise him that your God overflowed with grace and mercy. And when your heart overflows with this geyser of grace, what happens is it comes out. You praise the Lord, you praise his name, you delight in his goodness for the rest of your days. Every single Sunday, every single day that you live your life is just another test run of the rest of your life for all eternity. Another reminder, another outward expression of this immovable, eternal, immortal reality that we get to enjoy and glorify God for the rest of our days.

And with that kind of reliability, with that kind of certainty, why wait? Why would you not go to him? There's no other words that you need, no sweeter words to sing, no greater truth to meditate on or to anchor your hope than the truth that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Come, ye sinners, poor and needy, thirsty, weary, vile sinners, come to the fountain of Christ. And the worst of all sinners, plunged beneath that flood of grace, will lose all their guilty stains for the rest of their days.

Alright. So we thank you for this good news of Christ. Pray, Lord, that if there's anyone here who hasn't come to you, they would trust in you today, that they would drink from the fountain of grace today and believe in you. Pray for any of us who are walking with you, who are tempted to distrust this saying that's worthy of all acceptance. That you would steel our spine with the truth of your word, that we would see the example of Paul and other sinners around us, and that you would embolden us, that you would strengthen us to bring you praise for the rest of our days. We pray all these things in Jesus' name. Amen.