if you would, to 1st Timothy
chapter 1. The name of the message is Paul,
a Pateron. Paul, a Pateron. 1st Timothy
chapter 1. We'll be reading verses 12 to
16. Paul, a Pateron. Verse 12 says, And I thank Christ
Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me, for that he hath counted
me faithful, putting me into the ministry." Now Paul is writing
to young Timothy, and I often look at these letters that Paul
writes to Timothy. He's a mentor writing to a young
man he's mentoring, a young pastor that he's mentoring, and I've
been blessed in my walk with the Lord to have a few men who've
mentored me through the way and it's been a real blessing. It's
been a real blessing and a real honor and I still have a couple
men who I consider my mentors, older preachers and they are
a great blessing to me and I often call them and we just talk about
scripture and and rejoice in the wonderful things that our
Lord has done for us. So Paul, though, and Timothy,
they couldn't just pick up the phone and talk, they wrote letters
to one another. And so we see here that Paul
is writing to Timothy, a young preacher, and note what he says
here, and I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who hath enabled me
for that he hath counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry.
Now note here, God put Paul in the ministry. Paul states that
God, who is absolutely sovereign, put him in the ministry. And
this is how you get into the ministry. It's not a career choice,
like so many people in religion. They make a career choice to
be a preacher, or a career choice to be a missionary. No, God puts
preachers into the ministry, and God puts missionaries on
the mission field. This is what He does, and He
enables the preacher to preach, and He enables the missionary
to be a missionary. One grace preacher that I know
one time said, if you feel like you're called the preach, and
you can do anything else to do it, then do it, because you're
not called the preach. Because what happens with a preacher
is God shuts us up to the ministry. There's nothing else we can do.
And this is what he does. He puts us in the ministry. Look at verse 13, who was before
Paul's writing of himself, who was before. And note he's writing
after the Lord has enabled him to be a minister, to be a preacher,
to minister and preach the gospel. who was before a blasphemer and
a persecutor and injurious. But I obtained mercy because
I did it ignorantly and unbelief. So Paul's reflecting. He's reflecting
on his past of who he was before the Lord saved him. And he's
being honest, isn't he? Because every one of us can say
that was me before the Lord saved me. So he's He's just writing
to Timothy about who he was. And the grace of our Lord was
exceedingly abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ
Jesus, verse 14. Was that not so with us too?
Was not the grace of God abundant in our lives? It came to us when
we were blasphemers. It came to us when we persecuted
Christians. It came to us when we were injurious.
It came to us when we had enmity with God in our hearts and minds. And was that grace not abundant
to us? Is it still not abundant to us
even as believers now? Because we fall and we fail all
the time, don't we? That's why we have to keep looking
to Christ. And the grace of God is abounding grace. It's abounding,
it's super abounding in our lives. And note this, this is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation, verse 15, that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners. There, stated right there, is
the mission of our Savior. He didn't come to reform people.
Right? He came to save what? Who? Sinners. Are you a sinner? Has God shown you're a sinner?
The believer says, yeah. And the believer says, what Paul
says here, of whom I am chief. Because we see our own sin, don't
we? We see our own sin. Halibate for this cause. Look
at this. I obtained mercy. Have you obtained mercy? Rejoice
if you have. Rejoice if you have. It's not
something you sought after. It's not something we sought
after. I obtained mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might
show forth all longsuffering, look at this, for a pattern to
them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. So
Paul brings forth here that he's a pattern. He's a pattern for
believers. Paul brings forth that God showed
him mercy and grace, and that he should be a pattern to them
which should hereafter believe on Christ to life everlasting.
And we see that in verse 16. Everyone here knows what a pattern
is. When I was younger, my mom made clothes for us, for us boys,
and she made clothes for herself. And she would, she'd go to the
store, and she'd find a dress for herself that she wanted to
make, or clothes for us that she wanted to make, and it was
in the pattern. A little wee package that would
sit there, and they'd go, and she'd go, and I'd go with her,
because I was just a little fella. I'd go with her, and she'd pick
out the pattern, and she'd take that home, and she'd spread that
pattern out, and she'd cut the, she would cut the clothing, or
whatever she was going to make, she'd cut it, because it had,
you just put it down on the cloth, and she'd cut it there, And then
she'd sew it all together. And she'd have a beautiful dress
or a nice shirt for us to wear. It was a form which she followed.
And this is what a pattern is, a form that you follow. If you're
making something out of wood, you follow a pattern. Metal,
you follow a pattern. You have plans that are in form
of a pattern. And in our text here in verse
16, Paul brings forth that God made him a pattern for us to
follow. And how he saves sinners. For
us to look at how he saves sinners. There are three things I'd like
us to first consider. That Paul thought himself and
felt himself to be the chief of sinners. Look at verse 15
here. And this is the same Greek word.
Chief in verse 15 is the same Greek word as first in verse
16. The same Greek word. This is
a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. How abate for this cause I obtain
mercy that in me first, same Greek word, Jesus Christ might
show forth all longsuffering for a pattern to them which should
hereafter believe on Him to life everlasting. Now the Greek word
is defined as this. First in time or space. First in time or space. In any succession of things or
persons. First in rank. First in rank. Chief. So Paul is saying here
that he saw himself as the worst sinner. As the worst sinner. And figuratively is rank, meaning
first, which is what Paul's bringing forth here. Now, Paul didn't
write this with a sense of false humility. No, not at all. Some
folks will say, well, yeah, I'm the chief of sinners. I've heard
religious people say it. But it's a false humility, because
then out of their mouth they speak self-righteous things.
Paul wasn't doing this. This was not said with a false
humility or a phony humility. Because most who say that in
religion, they don't really believe it at all. Or they don't feel
it. But the believer feels this. We feel like we're the chief
of sinners. We know ourselves, don't we? We know ourselves. And again,
this was a real humility. And this had been taught to Paul.
This isn't something that man can just all of a sudden, oh
yeah, I'm the chief of sinners. No, Paul had been taught by the
Holy Spirit of God, hadn't he? That he's the chief of sinners. He'd been shown who he is in
light of the holy and righteous God of the universe. And he said,
I'm the chief. Now remember Isaiah? I'm a man
undone. He did the same thing. I'm a
man of, woe is me! The previous chapters, Isaiah
had been saying, woe is them and woe is them and woe is them.
And then when he saw the Lord, he forgot all about that. And
he said, woe is me. I'm a man undone. I'm a man of
unclean lips. And I dwell in the midst of a
people of unclean lips. You see, he'd been showing, Isaiah,
just like Paul, been showing who he was in the sight of God. And when you get a glimpse of
the holiness of God, and who he is and what he is, you'll
cry out if you're a believer, I'm the chief of sinners. I'm
the chief of sinners. So this was a real humility that
Paul spoke of here, being taught by the Holy Spirit of God that
he is the chief of sinners. And again, you talk to any blood-washed
saint of God, Any who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit
of God and were admit that this is true of us. This is true of
me. So Paul brings forth that he's
the chief of sinners. Now this is true in two respects. He's the chief of sinners in
the sight of God himself. The Holy Ghost had Paul penned
these words. The Holy Ghost had Paul penned
these words and let us remember that. that Paul fought against
God. He fought against Christ before
he was saved. The portion I had Brother John
read, he was on his way to Damascus to slaughter Christians, beloved.
He wasn't going on a peace mission. No. He was going to slaughter
Christians, to get them and drag them back, throw them in the
prison. Some of them would be killed. That was his plans. But he had an appointment with
God he didn't know about. Didn't he? So he was the chief of sinners
in the sight of God himself. Before he was saved again, he railed against Christ. I ask
you, we who are the blood-bought saints
of God, did we not do the same? Did we not rail? Were we not
blasphemers? Did we not have any care about
God and who He was? Any care about Christ and who
He was? Did we not use the name of our
precious Savior in vain before the Lord saved us? To my shame,
yes. But beloved, I've obtained mercy.
Have you? It's wonderful. It's wonderful
when we consider that. So, look at verse 13. And cannot we see ourselves?
He was before a blasphemer and a persecutor. and injurious.
Again, he persecuted God's people. He hunted them down like animals.
He persecuted the church of God. He put them in prison. All because
they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the only reason.
That's the only reason he persecuted them. Because they profess Christ. And in persecuting the church,
he was persecuting Christ, wasn't he? Remember what the Lord said in
the text that Brother John read? Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me? Think of that. He's the head.
This head is attached to this body. He's the head. We're the body. So when Saul was persecuting
Christians, he's persecuting the body of Christ. Saul, Saul,
why persecutest thou me? Let's go back to Acts 9. We'll
read the first five verses there. Acts chapter 9, verses 1 to 5.
And remember, Paul's being sent on a mission to go and gather
up some more of those people of the way. The people of the
way. And remember what he wrote in
1 Timothy, he did these things ignorantly, didn't he? He thought
he was doing the work of God, didn't he? Just like in the Inquisitions. People think they're doing the
work of God, but they're not. They're persecuting the people
of the way. They're persecuting true believers.
Look at Acts 9, verses 1-5. and Saul, yet breathing out threatenings
and slaughter." Man, he was mad and angry. He was a blasphemer
and a persecutor against the disciples of the Lord. This is
the people of the way, they were called. Believers went unto the
high priest and desired of him letters to the masses, to the
synagogue, that if he found any of this way, Whether they were man or woman,
he didn't care if they were man or woman. He did not care. He might bring them bound into
Jerusalem. He just wanted to stamp them
out. He just wanted to destroy every
one of them. Now think of that. This is Paul
before he saved. This is who he was. And as he journeyed, he came
under Damascus. Now, little did he know, he's
leaving, he's got them letters, I'm gonna get those Christians.
Speaking of threatenings, slaughter, right? Hating them. Little did
he know that Paul has a divine appointment with the sovereign
God of the universe. Little did he know, he's a chosen
vessel, beloved. He's a chosen vessel of God. And as he journeyed, he came
near Damascus, and suddenly there shined round about him a light
from heaven. And he fell to the earth and
heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou
me?" Again, who's Paul seeking to
persecute? Believers. The body of Christ. And he said, who art thou, Lord? Oh my. And the Lord said, I am Jesus,
whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against
the bricks. So he's the chief of sinners
in God's sight, just like every one of us are. And look at this. The next portion that I'd like
us to consider is he's also the chief of sinners in his own sight.
In his own sight. Think of this as an illustration.
You take a bright light into the room of darkness. You walk
into that room of darkness with no light and it's just pitch
black. You don't see nothing, do you? But if you take a bright
light into that room, you see everything, don't you?
You see everything. Well, what did God do for him
and for every believer? He turned the light on, beloved.
Turned the light on, didn't he? Now we see ourselves for what
we are. We didn't see ourselves before that, did we? We were
wandering around in a dark room. Didn't know, didn't know how
evil we were and how wicked we were. We had no idea. We didn't
even think we were sinners. I didn't think I was a sinner.
I'll be honest with you. I thought everybody else was
sinners that were in prison and all that stuff. Those were the
real sinners. But no, when God turned that
light on, oh my goodness, oh my. He turns the light on, doesn't
He? In our hearts. And He turns the
light on in our minds. And in our affections. And we
see ourselves, just as Paul saw himself, the chief of sinners. And the light of the Gospel has
shown in Paul's heart, has shown in Paul's heart, and he sees
himself as the chief of sinners. As the chief of sinners. He has
had revealed to him his absolute need for Christ. He's had revealed
to him his need for Christ. And he's had revealed to him
that what he was trusted in before was a refuge of lies. Is that
not so with us? I know that's so with me. The
Lord revealed to me that what I was trusting in was an absolute
refuge of lies. Paul had been showing that he
was trusting in his own self-righteousness. That's what I was trusting in.
Is it so with you? Before the Lord saved us, we
were trusting in something. And the Lord showed him his own
self-righteousness. before the Lord saved him. And
the Lord showed him that his self-righteousness was abominable
in God's eyes. And that it did nothing but condemn
him. Did nothing but to condemn him. I ask you who are born again
blood-washed saints of God, is it not so for you? Has God not
done this for you? Has he not done that for us?
Did God not show us that we're the chief of sinners? And do we now still feel that
we're the chief of sinners? It doesn't go away, does it? Oh my. One day though, we'll
be free from sin. We'll be free from sin. And this
is what leads us to wonder and amazement that God chose us. Because when He reveals this
to us, we see ourselves as the chief of sinners and we're amazed
that He saved us. We're amazed. We know we can't
save ourselves, but we see ourselves as sinners, the chief of sinners,
and we're amazed. God saved me. It's wonderful. It's absolutely wonderful. And
it leaves the believer in awe. And look, this is what Paul is
proclaiming. In verse 15, this is a faithful
saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the
world to save sinners of whom I'm chief. Paul says, Lord came
to save me, the chief. Came to save me. He left the
glories and splendors of heaven to save me. So Paul said, revealed
to himself what he is in the sight of God. And he said, revealed
to himself what he really is, the chief of sinners. The chief
of sinners. But then, look at verse 15. Christ
came into the world to save sinners, for whom I'm chief. Oh, he's
rejoicing in the fact that Christ came to save him. And let us
also consider that Paul attained mercy. Look at verses 13 and
16. He didn't seek after mercy, beloved.
He didn't seek after, because we know that in the scriptures
it says there's none that seeketh after God, right? There's none
that understandeth God. There's none. There's none righteous,
no, not one. So we know that Paul didn't seek
this mercy. No, he obtained it. It was given
to him. Grace was given to him. Repentance
was given to him. Faith was given to him. It's
wonderful. It just makes the sovereignty
of God and the fact that salvation is of the Lord so marvelous.
So marvelous. The fact that we obtain mercy. The fact that we never sought
it. Look at this in verse 13. Who was before a blasphemer and
a persecutor and an injurious, but I obtained mercy. And Paul is speaking of himself
here. I obtained mercy. Can you say, I obtained mercy? The believer says that, don't
we? I obtained mercy. Because I did it ignorantly and
unbelief. Then look at verse 16. Halibate
for this cause I obtained mercy. Again he writes again. He did
not get, beloved, he did not get what he deserved. And we
as believers don't get what we deserve. What do we deserve?
We deserve wrath and judgment and hell, don't we? We deserve
that. That's the payment for sin. For
the wages of sin is death. That's the payment. So what does
Christ do? He comes and dies upon the cross
to satisfy God's justice, to satisfy His law, and to die before
the law and justice of God. In our place, He's our substitute.
It's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. So Paul
did not get what he deserved. God did not leave him where he
was. but he obtained mercy. And if
you're a believer, rejoice that God didn't leave you where you
were. Because if he had left us where
we were, we never would have sought him. But praise be to
God, God chose a people and Christ died for those people and the
Holy Spirit makes us willing in the day of his power to run
to Christ. So twice Paul brings forth that he's obtained mercy. He
says he was a blasphemer and a persecutor. He looked at himself
as the greatest sinner against Christ. And again, let us never
forget that we have obtained mercy, we who believe. This was
mercy that was unasked for. Did you ask for the mercy? We
did after he made us willing, but before that in our unregenerate
state, we didn't ask for mercy. He didn't even care about Christ. We didn't seek it. It's unsought
for in our natural state. And it's certainly this mercy
is unmerited, isn't it? It's unmerited because we don't
deserve it. But rejoice, you who are the blood-bought saints
of God. You have obtained mercy. You've obtained it. It's given
to you. Oh, it's wonderful. It's wonderful. Why did Paul obtain mercy? Look
at verse 16. Hell abate for this cause I obtain
mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering
for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life
everlasting. So that is in, that in me Paul
brings forth and again first remember chiefly that he should
be a pattern to them which believe. The conversion of the chief of
sinners, being Paul, proves that God will show mercy. Proves that God will show mercy.
Paul was a pattern before conversion, he was a pattern at conversion,
and he was a pattern after conversion. And we can see that just as Paul
was a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, and just as he
did these things ignorantly and unbelief, we were the same. We
were the same. And just as Paul obtained mercy,
we've obtained mercy. We've obtained mercy. So let
us first consider how Paul was a pattern before conversion.
Turn, if you would, to 2 Peter. 2 Peter 3, verse 9. Our great God is long-suffering. He's long-suffering, beloved.
And we who have obtained mercy in Christ, we know that He's
long-suffering, don't we? We know it. We've experienced
that He's long-suffering. We have. We've experienced this. It's been evidenced in our lives.
Look at 2 Peter 3, verse 9. The Lord is not slack concerning
His promises. Some men count slackness. But
is long-suffering to what? To usward. He's long-suffering
to usward, not willing that any should perish, but all should
come to repentance. And this is speaking of God's
people. Every one of the sheep of God that the Lord Jesus Christ
died for will come to Him. And God is long-suffering with
us. Think of how long-suffering the
Lord is with us, we who believe now. He's long-suffering with
His people. Now think upon this. There was
a time when the Lord was long suffering with Saul of Tarsus,
with the apostle, not willing that he should perish. God endured
his sinfulness and his wickedness before he was saved until the
day that Paul obtained mercy. Look at verse 15. The long-suffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, which sometimes were disobedient,
when the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah while
the ark was preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were
saved by water." Turn, if you would, to Genesis chapter 6,
and then put your finger in Exodus chapter 34, Genesis chapter 6,
in Exodus. Do you know that God's long suffering
waited a hundred and twenty years? A hundred and twenty years? In the days of Noah as he preached
righteousness as in Genesis 6.3? And the Lord said, My spirit
shall not strive with men that He also is flesh, yet His days
shall be a hundred and twenty years. Noah preached the righteousness
of God in all His ways and works, and in the fact that He would
destroy the world, that God would destroy the world by a flood. Noah preached righteousness. And it is not to be doubted that
he preached the same righteousness wherewith he himself was an heir.
It says, Hebrews 11, By faith Noah being warned of God of things
not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving
of his house by which he condemned the world and became an heir
of righteousness, which is by faith. Turn, if you would, to
Exodus 34, how long-suffering our God is. Oh, how long-suffering
our God is. Exodus 34, verses 5-7. Exodus 34, verses
5-7. And the Lord descended in the
cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the
Lord. Verse 6, And the Lord passed by him, passed by before him
and proclaimed the Lord God, merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth. And the Lord passed by him and proclaimed the Lord God,
merciful, gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth, keeping mercy for thousands and forgiving iniquity and transgressions
and sins. Verses 6 and 7. How merciful
our great God is, beloved. How merciful He is. How forgiving
our God is. How long-suffering our God is.
Think of this in your own life. Think of this in your own life.
Think of how you were before the Lord saved you. Was God not
long-suffering with you? He kept us alive, didn't He?
Oh, He's long-suffering, beloved. He's long-suffering with us before
we obtain mercy. And He's long-suffering with
us even after we obtain mercy. Abraham was 75 years old when
God called him out of the land of Ur. He was an idol-worshipper. God was long-suffering with him,
wasn't He? He was long-suffering with him. He was an idol-worshipper just
like his father. Just like his father's father. God was long-suffering with him.
He left him in his idolatry until it was God's appointed time that
he'd obtain mercy. And God's long-suffering was
manifested with Moses, who killed an Egyptian and then fled into
the desert and came into the land of Midian. But when it was
the Lord's timing, He called him by His grace. He called him
by his grace. And how long suffering? How long
suffering was the Lord with the dying thief? With the dying thief
who looked to Christ. We do not know how old he was,
but he lived a life up to that point. And he had been tried
and found guilty. He'd been tried and found guilty.
And now He's dying on the cross, a cross beside our Lord, paying
for His crimes. How long-suffering God was with
Him. And then at the appointed time,
beloved, He was born again. Regenerated by the Holy Spirit
of God. A brand plucked from the fire.
and granted faith to believe, and he looked to the Lord, didn't
he? And he said, Lord, just remember me. And the Lord said, today
thou shalt be in paradise. Today. How longsuffering was
God with him? And how longsuffering was the
Lord with Paul, as we looked at earlier? He wasted the church
of God. He had believers cast into prison. He was a blasphemer and a persecutor
and injurious to God's people. And oh, how long-suffering God
was with him. And oh, how long-suffering is
He with us before He saves us. I see myself here. We who believe can look back
And we can see how long-suffering God was to us. I was talking
to Paul a couple of Wednesday nights after church about this
very thing, about Paul believing himself to be the chief of sinners,
and how merciful God is to the believer before they're saved,
and how merciful and long-suffering God is with the believer after
we're saved. He's a merciful God, beloved. We don't get what
we deserve. We've obtained mercy. What if
God, willing to show His wrath and to make His power known,
endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to
destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His
glory on the vessels of mercy which He had aforeprepared unto
glory? God's even long-suffering with
the unsaved. What a pattern we have. Looking
at the Apostle Paul, the long-suffering of God towards His covenant people,
towards His blood-bought people who are redeemed in Christ Jesus
the Lord. The second point I'd like us
to consider is Paul was a pattern in his conversion. Turn if you
would to Galatians chapter 1. Galatians chapter 1. Paul was
a pattern of the sovereignty of God and salvation. He was
a pattern of the sovereignty of God and salvation. And the
sovereignty of God and salvation is reflected in every believer's
life. In every believer's life. Salvations of the Lord. The believer
proclaims that. Because again, we would never
seek Him. We don't understand the things of God until He reveals
them. We don't ever see Christ until He reveals Himself to us.
And look at this, He's a pattern of the sovereignty of God and
salvation in and through Christ Jesus alone. Look at Galatians
1, verses 15 and 16. But when it pleased God, who
separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by His grace,
to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the
heathen. Immediately I conferred, not with flesh and blood." And
this is speaking of the portion, it says, "...and called me by
His grace." This is speaking of the portion Brother John read. He was called by the grace of
God in His conversion. He's a patron in His conversion.
Are we who believe not called by the grace of God? Yeah. Through the preaching of the
Word. God will show mercy to whom He
will show mercy. Here have compassion on those
whom here have compassion. So then it's not of him that
willeth, so there goes free will, nor of him that runneth, there
goes works, but of God that showeth mercy. God shows mercy and grace
to whomever He pleases. In Christ Jesus was sent to fallen
men, not to fallen angels. He was sent to sinful fallen
men. Think upon this. God in His sovereignty
chose Abraham out of all the people in the world. And then God in His sovereign
grace chose the Jews over all the nations of the world. Then God rejected the Jews and
left them in unbelief, and now by His sovereign grace, He's
turned to the Gentiles. It's wonderful. I ask you, is this not sovereign
mercy? Is this not sovereign mercy?
What do the Scriptures proclaim? Jacob have I loved, but Esau
have I hated. Is this not sovereign grace?
Is this not sovereign mercy? He has mercy on whom? He. You
have mercy on whom here of mercy. Why did he have mercy upon the
apostle Paul? Because it pleased him to do
so. Let's bring it right home. Why did he have mercy on me,
the believer says? Because it pleased Him to do so. Because
it pleased Him to do so. That's a merciful God, isn't
it? It's wonderful. It's absolutely wonderful. Now,
I don't know whom He will have mercy upon. That's why we preach
the Gospel. It goes out, doesn't it? That's
called the general call. It goes out. And God does the
same. The Holy Spirit regenerates through
the preaching of the Word of God. And He draws His lost sheep. Salvation is of the Lord. Jonah
2.9 says that, doesn't it? Salvation is of the Lord. It's
all of the Lord. From beginning to end. From beginning to end. And the believer marvels in this. We marvel in this. God's grace
is sovereign and it's free. And we who believe are at God's
mercy. We're at God's mercy. We are
wholly dependent upon Him, aren't we? For mercy, for grace. And this is why we despise people
who say God's done all He can do, now the rest is up to you.
That's just not true. This spits in the face of God's
sovereignty. When someone says that, it spits
in the face of the sovereignty of God. May God teach us. May God teach
us. That we're at His mercy. Even
now as believers, we're at His mercy. So Paul was a pattern of the
sovereignty of God and salvation. And he proclaims that he's the
chief of sinners. Turn if you would to Acts chapter
22. And Paul tells us here in Acts 22 that he persecuted the
way. Acts chapter 22. He persecuted
the way. And this is the people of God.
Acts chapter 22. Verses 3 and 4. I am verily a
man which am a Jew, both in Taurus, a city in Sicily, yet bought
up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel. and taught according
to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous
toward God as ye are all this day." So he's telling them that
he was a Pharisee of Pharisees. He was taught in their system,
he was taught by their teachers, and look what he says in verse
4, "...and I persecuted this way unto death." He persecuted Christians unto
death. He didn't just have them cast into prison, he persecuted
them unto death. Binding and delivering them into
prisons, both men and women. He didn't care if it was a man
or a woman. He just wanted to exterminate the people of the
way. And look at any conversion in
Scripture, but actually look at verse 14, further down, verse
14. And he said, The God of our fathers
hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that just
one, and hear the voice of his mouth. Look at any conversion in Scripture.
In any conversion of a believer. And you have to go back to God's
electing grace. The fact that God chose a people
in eternity. And the fact that Christ redeemed
those chosen people. And God the Holy Spirit regenerates
them. And to those chosen blood-bought
saints, election is precious, isn't it? It's precious to us.
It's precious to the child of God. And think upon this, God
passes by all these other men and saves Paul. Saves Paul. He who had such hatred of the
church, he who had persecuted the church, he who was a blasphemer, becomes the greatest preacher
of all time. Why? Because he was a chosen
vessel. He was a chosen vessel, just
like every other blood-bought child of God. All the saints
of God are chosen vessels. And we can look back at our own
salvation And we can marvel that God chose
us, that God saved us. And we marvel that he saved us
and passed by so many others. Going back up from my mother's
funeral, I got to see a lot of people that I grew up with. And I was left stunned. with the fact that God chose
me and saved me and passed by all of them. It's very humbling. And think
of this in your own life. Think of all the people you know,
friends and family, people you grew up with, you went to high
school with, or work with. And God chose you. And saved
you. Regenerated you. Because you were chosen vessel. It's very humbling, beloved.
And this is what leads us to cry out with Paul. Truly I've
obtained mercy. Truly I've obtained mercy. In
Christ. So Paul is a pattern of a sinner
justified by another. Justified by another. And that
is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only one who can justify
a sinner. He is the only one who can save
a sinner. We can't save ourselves, can
we? And He was an example for two
reasons. He was inwardly vile and He was
outwardly decent. And He thought Himself righteous
by His own works. But again, God tore down His
refuge to lies, didn't He? Turn if you would to Philippians
chapter 3. He was outwardly decent, but
he was inwardly vile before the Lord saved him. And God not only
showed Paul his inward vileness, but his outward as well. And
I ask you, has God not done this for all His people? Has He not
done this for us? Has He not revealed to us what
we really are? We're sinners by birth, nature
and choice. Look at Philippians 3, verses
5-10, circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, the
tribe of Benjamin, the Hebrew of Hebrews, touching the law
of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, touching
the righteousness which is of the law, blameless. So Paul in
his self-righteousness, in his self-righteousness, and this
is how we are too, you know, when a person makes a statement
like I used to make, when I used to say, well God will take us
and weigh us in the scales of balance, and our good will outweigh
our bad. That's what I used to say before
I even had read the Bible or knew who the Lord was. I used
to say, well, God will take me and put me in the scales of justice,
and my good will outweigh my bad. I was so full of self-righteousness,
you see. See, I thought myself was blameless
that way. Because I was measuring myself
up to other people who I thought were a lot worse than me. Until
God turned that light on. Until God turned that light on.
So Paul sees himself in his self-righteousness, he sees himself as blameless.
There's always somebody worse. But what things were gained to
me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea, doubtless, and I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things and do count them but dung that I may win Christ.
He did not care about what he had in the past and who he was.
Look at this. Look at verse 9. And be found
in him. And be found in him. not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith, that I might know him, and the power of his resurrection,
and the fellowship of his suffering, being made conformable unto his
death." In the bulletin, in the last verse of the song, Sister
Bonnie highlighted this. This is wonderful. No other righteousness
avails, save that which is of thee. This is what Paul's writing
here. And to be found in him, not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of
God by faith. The only righteousness which
will justify us, beloved. And the believer is clothed in
the righteousness of Christ. The last one I'd like us to consider
is Paul's pattern after conversion. The chief of sinners became the
chief of saints and the apostles. And Paul wrote 14 books of the
Bible. And Paul has been made holy in
Christ. Not in himself, right? Because
in our own self we're unrighteous. But Paul's been made holy in
Christ. He's clothed in the righteousness
of Christ. He's a new creature in Christ. And he was on his
way to kill Christians. Now he's born again. Now he's
born again. And that passes that brother
John. Now he's born again. He's a new creature in Christ.
Turn, if you would, to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5. And then put your
finger in Acts chapter 9. 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 and
Acts chapter 9. And ask, is it not so for us,
for we who believe? Are we not new creatures in Christ
now? We are. I always marvel now when
I go home because my brothers think of me as who I used to
be. And I'm not the same person. The outside's the same, but I'm
a new creature in Christ. I have new desires. I have a
new love. I know what I am. Look at this,
2 Corinthians 5. 17 to 19. Therefore, if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away. Behold,
all things are become new. Think of this in light of this. We didn't love the Bible before
we were saved. We didn't love Christ before
we were saved. We didn't love God before we
were saved. We didn't love the people of
God before we were saved. No, we love God. We love His
Word. We love coming to church. We
love to gather with the Lord's people. We love the Lord Jesus
Christ. We love him because he first
loved us. All things are new, beloved.
Now we're still sinners, aren't we? And we still struggle all
the time. But now we have hope. And now we know that there's
one who carries us through all the trials and tribulations of
life. He takes us through those, doesn't he? We didn't have that
hope before. See, all things are new. They're
new, beloved. And all things are of God who
hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ. We're reconciled
by Christ shedding his precious blood, right? Now we can approach
God. We're clothed in his righteousness.
and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation, to wit that
God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word
of reconciliation." The gospel preacher has a wonderful message.
It's the word of reconciliation. Peace with God through the Lord
Jesus Christ, through His shed blood, through His death upon
the cross. And that's why we tell sinners,
just look to Christ. Look and live. Look and live. And that's all we do, isn't it?
And then we don't stop looking as believers. I ask you, do you
keep looking to Christ? Yeah, we do. We look to Him every
day. All the time. And look at the change the Holy
Spirit has wrought in Paul. Turn to Acts chapter 9. Acts
chapter 9. The change that the Holy Spirit
has wrought in Paul. Now remember, he's on his way
to Damascus to slaughter Christians or to bind them up and take them
back to prison and have them put to death, right? And notice
the change the Holy Spirit has wrought by his almighty power. Paul's regenerated, born-again
believer. Again, he's on his way to kill
Christians. And now we see Paul proclaiming Christ in the synagogue. Look at Acts chapter 9. verses
19 to 22. Now only God can do this. Only God can do this. Only God
can take a man who was on his way to kill a bunch of people
and the Lord regenerates him. And now he's proclaiming Christ.
This is amazing. Amazing grace. Acts 9 verses
19 to 22. And when he had received meat,
he was strengthened. Then Saul saw certain days with the disciples,
which were at Damascus. And straight away he preached
Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. My, what
a change. Paul's a new creature in Christ,
beloved. Look at this. But all that heard
him were amazed. They were amazed at this. And
said, Is not this he that destroyed them, which called on this name
in Jerusalem? and came hither for that intent,
that he might bring them bound unto the cheap priests. But Saul
increased them more in strength and confounded the Jews, which
dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is the very Christ. Oh, what a great change has come
upon Paul. And it's by nothing that he's
done. It's all by the power of the Almighty God. Our Almighty
God. God the Holy Spirit has regenerated
him. And the same person who persecuted
Christians now preaches Christ. Now preaches Christ. Salvation
in Christ makes the believer faithful to God. It makes them
faithful to Christ. Makes us faithful to the Scriptures. Salvation in Christ alone makes
the believer a self-denier, because we deny that there is any good
in us. We deny that there is any good in us. We don't boast
of ourselves. We don't boast of what we've
done, because all our boast is in Christ, in Christ alone. All
our boast is in what He's done. The Lord saved me. I couldn't
save myself. The Lord saved me. He saved me. Is that not what we say? Salvations
of the Lord. Ask a believer if they have anything
good to say about themselves. And I remember, I remember Brother
John tell me one day someone was visiting here and said, you're
a bunch of good people here. And John looked around and said,
I don't see those who you're talking about. We're a bunch
of sinners here. We're a bunch of sinners here.
Saved by grace. Saved by grace. We who believe
on Christ have been shown what our state was. What our state
was in the sight of God. And we know we've been taught
that salvation is of the Lord. We've been taught that, haven't
we? We didn't know that before we were saved. We had no idea.
We had no idea. And salvation in Christ alone
makes the believer a laborer for Christ. Because we labor
in the gospel. We labor in the church. And we
labor to make the gospel known. We labor to make Christ known,
don't we? He's the one who we want people to know. And we know
that only God can reveal Him. But we want to put the gospel
out as much as we can. And when people ask us what our
hope is, we say it's Christ. We don't look back to something
we prayed or something we did, do we? No, we look to Christ
and we say, Christ, Jesus, the Lord saved me. He saved me. What a pattern we have before
us, beloved of God, in the conversion of Paul. He who proclaimed to
be the chief of sinners is saved by the grace of God in Christ
alone. And he's obtained mercy. And he's received grace from
God. He's born again. And now he trusts
and looks to Christ alone. And we saw that he proclaimed
Christ now in the synagogues, didn't he? What a miracle. What a miracle of grace Paul
is. And what a miracle of grace every
believer is. What a miracle of grace every
believer is. Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank Thee for Your
mercy and grace Oh, we thank thee for the amazing pattern
that we have seen in Paul and how... How before he was saved,
he was a blasphemer, an injurious, a persecutor. And Lord, he calls
himself the chief of sinners. And this is what every one of
us who are saved, this is what we say of ourselves. Oh Lord,
and we know that we've obtained mercy. Just like Paul, we've
obtained mercy. We pray that you would use the
message for your glory. And if it's your will to draw
on some of your lost sheep, to show them mercy, Lord, and grace.
Oh, we give you all the glory and honor and praise for it.
We love you because you first loved us. In Jesus' name, Amen.