I ask you to take your Bibles
and turn with me to the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 1. 1 Timothy 1. Let's ask the Lord's blessing. Our Father, we thank you this
evening for this time to come together. Lord, to hear your
word, would you bless it to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ
and to our good. For Christ's sake, we ask these
things. Amen. Hold in your place right there
in 1 Timothy. Let me read this passage of Scripture
for you in 2 Thessalonians 5. 18, in everything, give thanks for
this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. And you know that pretty well
sums up the whole scheme of things that we're to
be thankful for in everything. Give thanks. It is the will of
the Lord Jesus Christ, number one, that we be thankful. And
in being thankful, let us strive as providentially the Lord orders
our steps and things come our way, whatever comes our way. He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will. Whatever comes to pass is the
Lord's will. So in everything that which the
Lord has done for us, we that believe, we're believers. Thank
you. Lord, thank you that you'd call
me out of the darkness of unbelief. Thank you for what you've provided. He said, my God shall supply
all your need. Not necessarily our wants, because
what we want is not necessarily what we need. But all of our
need, He's going to provide according to His riches and glory by Christ
Jesus. Be thankful for where we are. We speak often of having a place
where we can meet together. I mean, just think about how,
relatively speaking, some farther than others, but relatively speaking,
we don't have to go anyplace. I mean, we're right here, and
there are people in this world that the Lord has revealed Christ
to. And they have long distances. There's not a place where they're
going to have to do something. They're going to have to move.
For the sake of the gospel, be thankful in everything. Give thanks. This is the will
of God in Christ Jesus. concerning you." Well, with that
word of exhortation here in 1 Timothy 1, the Apostle Paul is writing
to Timothy, his son in the faith. And Scripture says, 1 Timothy
1 verse 12, Paul being thankful, he says, and I thank Christ Jesus
our Lord who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry." I thank the Lord. I thank Christ Jesus the Lord.
We thank the Lord for all things. I heard Brother Henry say, I
was preaching a message and he was talking to someone that he
had heard say to a visitor, They said, I thank you for coming,
Henry said to that person. He said, listen, he said, let
me give you some advice. Don't ever tell anybody again,
thank you for coming to the services. Don't ever say that again. He said, rather say this, I thank
the Lord that the Lord brought you here. thanking them. Brother Henry said that's the
wrong person to thank. In all things give thanks. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord
who hath enabled me who hath strengthened me by his might,
for that he counted, he deemed, he counted me faithful." Not
that the Lord saw Paul to be faithful and then called him,
like as if Paul was the faithful one, but Paul the Apostle was
counted faithful in that the Lord made him so by grace and
then blessed what the Lord had done for him. You remember when
the woman with the issue of blood came to the Lord Jesus Christ,
she said within herself, if I can touch but the hem of his garment,
I'll be clean, I'll be whole. She came and touched him. The Lord stopped, and he said,
who touched me? The disciples said, Lord, well,
you're in the press. Everybody's touching you. He
said, no virtue has gone out of me. Someone touched me. And he turned and he saw the
woman and she was trembling, fearful. And he said, daughter, be of good cheer. Thy faith hath
made thee whole. Thy faith. Where did she get
it? He gave it to her. Paul says,
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me for that
He counted me faithful. What He did for me, He honored. Putting me, set me, fixed me,
ordained me into the ministry. It's the Lord that calls men
into the ministry of preaching the gospel. Jeremiah 3.15, and
I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed
you with knowledge and understanding. Paul says who, in verse 13 of
1 Timothy 1, who was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious, but
I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelief. Now, he said, I was before a
blasphemer, persecutor, injurious. Now, first time that Paul is
ever mentioned, he was Saul of Tarsus. Hold your place right
there. Turn to Acts 7. First time the
Apostle Paul was ever mentioned before he was converted is found
in Acts 7 verse 54. You remember the story of Stephen?
Stephen was preaching, and these Jews were listening to him, and
the more he preached, the madder they got. Acts 7, starting in
verse 54, and when they heard these things, they were cut to
the heart. They gnashed on him with their teeth, but he, being
full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven and
saw the glory of God. and Jesus standing on the right
hand of God. I'm going to just stop right
there for just a second. I can't help but think that I
was considering this verse of scripture here this afternoon,
thinking about this message. And you know when Paul, Moses,
asked the Lord, he said, show me your glory. I know what the
word means. Show me what you think. Show
me your thoughts, what your desire is. But listen to this. He being full of the Holy Ghost
looked up steadfastly into heaven and saw the glory of God. Who
did he see? He saw the Lord Jesus Christ,
the glory of God, standing on the right hand of God and said,
Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on
the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud
voice and stopped their ears and ran upon him with one accord
and cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses
laid down their clothes at a young man's feet whose name was Saul. It was Saul of Tarsus. Now I
know that it was Saul of Tarsus because the Apostle Paul brought
it up. Turn over to Acts 22. Acts 22. Paul never forgot what he had done, what his attitude
was. Acts 22 and verse 20. Here's what Paul says, he was
relating the story and I'll just go to verse 20. And when the
blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by
and consenting unto his death and kept the raiment of them
that slew him. Paul said, I was the one. I was the one. Now back in 1
Timothy 1 verse 13, here's what he's doing, he's relating, I
thank the Lord Jesus Christ, who enabled me, counted me faithful,
put me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer, one
that spoke evil against the Lord. I was a persecutor, doing harm
to God's people, injurious, an insulter to the work of the ministry,
hating the gospel. When he was on the road to Damascus,
he was going to get those who were of the way, the way of faith,
the way of truth. Paul said in verse 13, he says,
but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief. I obtained mercy. Why? Well, because the Lord had
everlastingly loved him. Chose him in Christ from before
the foundation of the world. How would we have ever known
that? The Apostle Paul was writing a letter to the church at Ephesus. That's what he was doing. He
was writing a letter. The book of Ephesians was a letter
that he wrote. And he wrote this letter and
saying exactly what the Spirit of God was moving upon the Apostle
Paul to write. How would we have known that?
How would we have known that before the fowl, how would Paul
have known it? Unless the Lord revealed that to him. And so
here he is, I obtained mercy. Why? Because the Lord chose to
show mercy. I'll have mercy on whom I'll
have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. So then it's not of him that
willeth, Not of him that runneth, but God that showeth mercy. The Lord told the Apostle Paul,
I'm going to get to Acts 9 in just a minute, I'm trying to
get there now, but I'm going. The Apostle Paul was sent into
Damascus. And the Lord told Ananias, you
know, Ananias, I want you to go over, there's one Saul of
Tarsus. He's a chosen vessel unto me
to bear my name for the Gentiles and kings and the children of
Israel. Why did Paul, why did the Lord show mercy? Because
the Lord chose to show mercy. I obtained mercy. Because I did
it ignorantly and unbelieved. Not that his ignorance and unbelief
was the reason, but Paul was saying, I'm admitting that I
was a rebel against God in a state of ignorance and unbelief. Not trying to make excuses for
what I was doing, but I'm admitting that I'm nothing more than a
poor, blind, ignorant bigot by nature. God was pleased to show
mercy to this sinner. Verse 14, 1 Timothy 1, And the
grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love
which is in Christ Jesus. Here's what Paul was saying, is the evidence of God's mercy
to a sinner shown. How is it? Here it is right here.
God's mercy to me was evidenced, Paul said, in this ignorant sinner
first because I believe God. That's what he said. Look at
verse 14. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with
faith. I believe God. How do I know
that the Lord has shown mercy to me? I believe God. It doesn't say I believe in God,
though He did. But devils believe in God. Everybody
believes in God. I've had people say, now I believe
in God. Well, demons do too. They believe
in God. But to believe God is to believe
what the Lord has said concerning Christ Jesus. He says, the grace of our Lord
was exceeding abundant with faith, and listen to this, and love,
which is in Christ Jesus. I believe Him, and I love Him. I love Him, as He's revealed
in these scriptures. I believe the Lord Jesus Christ
that is set forth in God's Word, God's sovereign Son. Sovereign God. God-man. He says, all power given unto
me by the Father, that I should give eternal life to as many
as the Father hath given me. What does that mean? That He's
going to give eternal life to as many as the Father has given
Him. That's what He means. John 6.37, all that the Father
giveth me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me, I will
in no wise cast out." Paul said, the grace of our Lord was exceeding
abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. And then he said in verse 15,
this is a faithful saying, worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. This is a true not to be doubted,
not to be argued, not to be debated. This is a faithful saying, worthy
of all acceptation. It has weight and is suitable
for the eternal good of a man's soul. This is truthful. This is the truth, Paul said. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. Sent of the Father to save those
according to God's eternal purpose given to the Lord Jesus Christ
in electing grace. Who are they? Sinners, wicked
rebels who can do nothing but sin. Miss the mark. And then Paul says, of whom I
am chief. I'm the first, I'm the greatest
of sinners, is what he says. That's what he's saying. You
know, I know this, I've heard men say that, and I agree with
this, that this was not a false humility. Paul wasn't trying
to get people to say, oh no Paul, you're not. You're really not
that bad, Paul. He wasn't trying to. He meant
this. He wrote this under the inspiration of God's Spirit. Paul the Apostle knew something
of the sense of sin, obviously. Now, I know, no matter what,
we know in part, we prophesy in part, we see through a glass
darkly. We just don't see as By the grace
of God we will, but we do see. But I thought about this, and
every once in a while I'll tell you, now I'm not going to speak
decidedly right here. I'm going to give you my thought
on it. So just take it as my thought,
because I have no way to confirm this, but I can tell you why
I'm about to say what I'm about to say, and I think it could
be right. The Apostle Paul wrote under
the inspiration of God's Spirit. He said, Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners, of whom I'm chief. He said, I'm
the first, I'm the greatest of sinners. And he believed it.
He believed it. I think, when the Scripture speaks
of the Apostle Paul, He said this, I knew a man 14 years ago,
whether he was in the body, out of the body, I don't know. He
was taken up to the third heaven and saw things and heard things
that he can't speak. Couldn't say them, couldn't relate
them, no way to express what he saw. In those times or in
that time of him being in that third heaven, in paradise. He
was in paradise. And the things that he saw, the
things that he heard, and the things that the Lord revealed
to him, Paul knew something of what it was to behold paradise. And that's all he ever said about
it. But can you imagine coming back with a memory of something
that you've seen and then beholding yourself and that body of sin
that Paul said, Oh, wretched, wretched man that I am. Who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Paul meant that. He knew, he
knew something of it. And I just wonder, when he said
Christ Jesus came to this world to save sinners, he's seen something
of who he was. He's seen something of the glory
of God. I don't know what he saw. That's
all he said. But I tell you what, unto whom
much is given, much is required. And Paul lived with that. for
the rest of his life, he went through seeing something of the
wretchedness. He said, I was shown the mercy of God. That's
what he said in verse 16. Howbeit for this cause I obtained
mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering. for a pattern to them which should
hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting." This is the second time that
Paul related in this passage that we've just read about the
mercy of God. The Apostle Paul was moved upon
by the Holy Spirit to say this, I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. I was one that was injurious
and God Almighty was pleased to show mercy. He was long suffering
in me to be a pattern to them which should hereafter believe
on Him to life everlasting. Now this is the point that I
wanted to come to and I'm just going to make a few quick points.
and end this message. But this is where I've come to.
I want us to look at Paul the Apostle. He said, the Lord showed
mercy to me. I was a blasphemer. Paul knew
something about himself. He said, I was a persecutor. I was injurious and God showed
mercy to me as a pattern. to those that believe hereafter. This is the pattern, Paul said,
of what a sinner saved by the grace of God looks like. I was a pattern. Now I want you
to turn with me to Acts 9. Acts chapter 9. Here's the pattern, Paul said.
This is how God saves sinners. Here's the pattern of a sinner. Acts 9 verses 1 and 2, And Saul,
yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples
of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters
to Damascus, to the synagogues, that if he found any of this
way, whether they were men or women, He might bring them bound
unto Jerusalem. Paul said, here's the pattern
of those to whom God shows mercy. He said, I was a headstrong rebel
against God. I was not seeking the Lord. Here was Paul with this attitude
as he had formerly described. I was a blasphemer against God,
persecuting God's church, injurious to the gospel of God's grace,
and there's no limit to the depth to which a man will fall except
the Lord of glory shows mercy. Paul said, I was that one that
persecuted. A religious man. Now I'm talking
about a religious man. Listen to Philippians 3, 5. Paul
said, this is the way I was. This blaspheming, injurious persecutor. This is how I saw myself. circumcised
the eighth day of the stock of Israel, the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of the Hebrews, is touching the law of Pharisee concerning
zeal, persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which
in the law, blameless. I went to church on Saturday.
I tithed everything that I had. I did everything according to
the law to the letter of the law and I could find no fault
in myself and he said I was nothing more than a blaspheming persecutor
of the Lord Jesus Christ of his people. Surely the Lord in his
mind would find some respect for such a upstanding religious
men. Not so. Not so. Every man at
his best state is altogether vanity. He's vain. Empty. Paul said, I was a pattern of
a rebel against God. This is the kind of people, Paul
said, that Christ Jesus came to this world to save. Sinners. Not religious people, that's
got all of their hope built up in what they've done for themselves.
Paul said, I was a pattern of one to whom God shows mercy.
Secondly, he said, I was a pattern of the mercy of God. Look at
verses 3 and 4. As he journeyed, he came near
Damascus. And suddenly there shined round
about him a light from heaven. He fell to the earth and heard
a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?"
Here was an object of God's mercy, dead in trespasses and sins,
doing just exactly what he wanted to do, and stopped in his tracks
by the arresting grace of God when God Almighty shined the
light of His mercy around Saul of Tarsus. Now, he said, I was
a pattern. I was a pattern of those that
the Lord saves. Look at verse 3 again. As he
journeyed, he came near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round
about him. There were some other men with
him, but it shined around him. And verse 4 says, he fell to
the earth and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest
thou me? Paul said, I'm a pattern of those
that the Lord saves. He saves with distinguishing
grace. My sheep, John 10.27, My sheep
hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 10.3,
To Him the porter openeth, and the sheep hear His voice, and
He calleth His own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. Now there's
a divine call, and there's a general call. This general call goes
out as men preach the gospel, as people hear it. They hear
the gospel preached, and in that call, a man, a woman, can resist. It's just a general call. Come
to Christ. Come unto me, all you that labor,
heavy laden, I'll give you rest. If any man thirst, let him come
unto me." Nah, I'm okay. I'm doing fine. But
I'm telling you, if Almighty God speaks personally to His
people, Saul Saul. Look at verse 7 in our text. He says, And the men which journeyed
with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. They didn't... Saul. Saul. Paul relating this story in Acts
22.9. said this, and they that were
with me saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard
not the voice of him that spake to me." They didn't hear it.
Who was the Lord talking to? He was talking to Saul. Saul. Saul. Whenever the Lord calls, it's
a convicting call. Why persecutest thou me? humbling call. Verse 3 says,
he fell to the earth, knocked him off his high horse, and Saul,
seeing the light of God's illuminating grace and hearing that effectual
call from the Lord, still ignorant. He's still ignorant. The Lord's arrested him, stopped
him. Now here's that prevenient grace that we've heard about. Grace before grace. Stopped him. It stopped him. Chuck and I was
talking the other day, and he was talking about Brother Scott
one time. You know, how many in here, you
know, at one time was dating somebody, came and they just
started coming? And the reason you came was,
they came was because, you know, Mark, you just came because Renee
was coming. Chuck, that's in our minds, see,
that's why. That's why we came. Well, I'm
just dating her, that's where she goes to church. So, but when
Almighty God is pleased to show mercy to one of the objects of
His mercy and compassion, He speaks to that person in particular,
and that person hears the voice of the Lord in his heart. That's
why, and he arrests him. There was grace before grace. Saul! Saul! Why persecutest thou
me? And listen to what Saul of Tarsus
said. Verse 5. Who art thou, Lord? Who are you? Who are you? Are you an angel? Who are you? And the Lord said, I'm Jesus
whom thou persecutest. Acts 22.8 says this, He said,
I'm Jesus of Nazareth, the one you blasphemed, the head of those you persecuted. And then he told him, he said
in verse 5, he said, it's hard for thee to kick against the
pricks, the goad, the ox goad. You know, you get an ox to go
a certain way, he starts kicking against that goad, you know who's
going to get hurt? The ox. It's hard to kick against the
pricks. Saul of Tarsus was a pattern
of the objects of God's mercy. And here's what he said, it's
hard for you to kick. You're going to be the one that's
going to get hurt. Because you're coming. You're
coming. You're coming. Who are you? I'm
Jesus that you're persecuting. It's hard to kick against the
bricks. All that the Father giveth me shall come. You're coming. What if one of the objects of
God's mercy decides that he's going to kick against the will
of the Lord? Well, let's just, you know, when we get a chance,
go back and read the story of Jonah and tell me what's going
to happen. It's hard to kick against the
pricks. And then lastly, he said, I was a A pattern of a humbled
sinner. Verse 6, And he trembling and
astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord
said unto him, Arise, go into the city, and it shall be told
thee what thou must do. What you're going to do. Here's a former rebel against
God, now given a heart to call on the Lord. At first, he said,
Lord, who are you? And the Lord revealed himself
to him. And then Paul, in humility, said, Lord, what would you have me to do?
Lord, what is your will for me? I'm just an ignorant sinner.
And I don't know what's right or what's best, but I know that
you do. I know who you are. And whatever
your will is, that's what I want. What would you have me to do?"
And the Lord told him, said, I want you to rise and go to
the city. It'll be told thee what thou must do. There was
a preacher over there and a nice. And the Lord prepared Ananias.
He said, now you go over there and you talk to him. This is
a chosen vessel unto me. And Ananias, under the inspiration
of the Spirit of God, walked up to Saul of Tarsus. Do you
remember how he addressed him? Brother Saul. Brother Saul. I pray the Lord teach us. This
is a sinner. These are sinners. This is who
God saves. He saves rebels against God,
against Himself. Those that despise Him, but those
that He's everlastingly loved, He calls them to Himself, breaks
them by His power, gives them a new heart, makes them willing
in the day of His power. And they come, and then He keeps
them. For Christ's sake, may we see Him.