Let's take our Bibles once again
and turn with me to 1 Timothy 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. A few weeks ago I spoke out of
the verses coming up to this and read this verse of Scripture,
but I'd like to just make a few comments out of 1 Timothy 1 verse
15. 1 Timothy 1.15, 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. The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, says, this is a faithful, This is a fateful, assured doctrine. It's a fateful saying that is the proclamation of God's
gospel, the gospel of God's grace. It's a faithful saying because
it faithfully magnifies and honors Almighty God. It gives Him all
the honor, all the glory, all the praise, and gives me none. None. I like that. Because the Lord has taught me
something. of what I am. It's a faithful
proclamation of God's justice being satisfied. I know this, when Christ was
made sin for his people and God Almighty spewed out wrath, deserved
wrath to the people of God who deserved it. He bore it in their
stead, in the sheep's stead, in the elect's stead. And I'm
telling you, when the Lord said, it's finished, you know what
that meant, really? It's finished. It's finished. Justice is satisfied. This is
a faithful saying concerning God's promises in Christ. This is a faithful saying. You can depend on this saying. They didn't say it was a faithful
saying or it's going to be a faithful saying. This is a faithful saying. Because it's from the heart and
mouth of Him who is the faithful and true witness. Listen to Deuteronomy 7, 9. Know
therefore that the Lord thy God He is God, the faithful God,
that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him, and
keepeth commandments to a thousand generations. Paul the Apostle
says, God is faithful by whom you were called unto the fellowship
of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Affectually called. That's
how God calls His sheep. He calls them affectually. Whenever
God calls, are they coming? Yes, sir. Yes, sir, they're coming. How do you know? John 6, 37. All that the Father giveth me
shall come to me. And him that cometh to me I will
in no wise cast out. Man, because of the frailty of
his flesh, finds there to be a doubt. fears that harass him. And we do. Our flesh, fiery darts
of Satan. Oh, how we struggle, struggle. And every believer, every believer,
every believer can find some, well, Being able to associate,
let me say it like that, with old John Newton's song, Tis a
Point, I long to know. Oft it causes anxious thought. Do I love the Lord or no? Am I his or am I not? He ended
that song, Lord, if I've never loved you before, help me to
begin today. Lord, grant me faith to believe
today because I don't have it of myself. Faith is given. All
men have not faith. Whenever these doubts arise,
that believer is going to fly to the God who is faithful. This is a faithful saying. Worthy. Worthy. It's the Word of God. Heaven
and Earth are going to pass away, but His Word will never pass
away. His Word has weight. It's a value
to the eternal security of a sinner's need, hope, and soul. And it's worthy of what? This is a faithful saying, worthy
of what? Of all acceptation. This word
is worthy to be embraced. This word is worthy to be believed. Of all acceptation. Jew, Gentile,
bond-free, male, female. This is the only word that is
worthy. of all acceptation. And since
it's worthy of all acceptation, it's worthy for me and for you.
But what then is that faithful saying that's worthy of all acceptation? Here it is. Here's the word.
That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Christ Jesus came into the world. How did he come into the world? How? Well, it was prophesied
that a virgin should conceive and bear a son called his name
Immanuel. God with us. God with us. Almighty God before the foundation
of the world. purpose to save his people. How
is he going to save them? He's going to come into this
world and he's going to live before God's law on their behalf. As a man, he's going to obey
God as a man. A God-man. Truly God and truly
man. Not half and half. Man, great is the mystery of
godliness. Somebody tries to say, well I
can understand that. Really? Great is the mystery of godliness? Great is the mystery. God was
manifest in the flesh? You can't explain that. Totally
God, totally man. We believe it. Believe it. And here, Almighty God in the
fullness of time, according God's eternal purpose, Christ who eternally
stood as the surety. I love this thought. From the
time I've told you before, I don't know how to speak eternal. I
don't know how to speak eternal. So all I can say is, eternally. In that the Son stood for the
sheep. Those that the Father gave Him
and Christ stood for Him, The father never looked to the sheep
again. I'm going to look to the son. You're the one I'm looking
to. He was the one in whom the father
first trusted. And I love that, that he never
looked to me for faithfulness. He never looked to me for obedience. He looked to him. And that which
he accomplished, he imputes, he charges to his elect. This
is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus
came into this world. Came as a virgin, said of Psalm
139 verse 14, I'm fearfully and wonderfully made. Here was conceived in the womb
of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, the Son of Man. God, Emmanuel,
God in the flesh. Nine months in that womb, born
just like we were. But he said, I was fearfully,
stupendously, distinguishingly, and illustrously the work of
the Holy Spirit. conceived by the Holy Spirit
without any use, without any knowledge of man. God manifest
in the flesh. Why did He come? He came to save
sinners. He came to save sinners. He didn't
come to try to save them. He came to save them. He came
to save them. He didn't come to make salvation
possible. He came to save sinners. He didn't come to be an example
or a martyr. He came to accomplish God's pleasure,
God's will, God's purpose. He came to finish the work that
the Father had given Him to do. What work was that? To save His
people. He came to rescue from the penalty
of sin and the law. particular people, to deliver
them from the destruction that was their due. Somebody said,
well, you know, I don't deserve death. I beg your pardon. If you didn't deserve death,
why did He die? He was made sin for us, He who
knew no sin. What happened to him, we deserve
that. But I'll tell you this, he came
into this world to save them. What kind of people is he coming
to save? Sinners. I'm just going to make a few
comments on what is a sinner. And I'm going to close. Came
to save sinners. What is a sinner? I'll tell you
what a sinner is. It's a person that does nothing
but sin. That's all he ever does. That's
all he ever does. Genesis 6-5, if you want to know
what every one of us are as being born in Adam, I'm going to tell
you, I'm going to read you a scripture, and this is what we are as being
born in Adam. And God saw that the wickedness
of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of
the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. This is
a sinner. All he does is sin. I ask myself, do I find myself
in this category? Do I find myself as being born
in Adam? And listen, there's an old man
that still lives in me. Paul said this, I see in me,
that is in my flesh, there dwells what? No good thing. No good thing. Oh, wretched man
that I am, who shall separate, who shall deliver me from the
body of this death? Every believer has two natures. Two natures, an old man and a
new man. And they do not get along. They are contrary one to the
other. Is there an old man in you? Is
there a carnal man that does nothing? Is there an old heart
that is deceitful above all things? That heart that will deceive
me about sin. A heart that will tell me that
I can do something for God. to reconcile myself before God.
Is there an old heart in me that still has a desire that wants
the glory? So I don't think like that anymore.
Well, if the Lord ever reveals Himself to you, you will think
that. Because I'm telling you, this old heart has not changed. It has not changed. The old heart
is not renewed. It's not made better. It's going
to be put away. The penalty of that old wicked
heart has been paid for by the blood of Christ for all that
Christ died. The penalty of it, but the presence
of it. A believer sees it. What is a
sinner? One that only sins. Secondly,
a sinner is one that is in spiritual bondage to sin. Romans 7.23,
Paul says, I see another law in my members, warring against
the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members. When I say that a sinner is one
that is in spiritual bondage to sin, let me tell you what
I mean so you'll understand what I'm talking about. I cannot keep
myself from sinning. I cannot keep myself from sinning.
I cannot stop myself. I cannot stop my evil thoughts. I can't do it. I just can't do
it. You say, well, I've got that
under control. No, you don't. No, you don't. Back in Genesis 6, 5, when the
Lord saw that every thought of every imagination of thoughts
of man's heart was only evil continually, that hadn't changed.
That old wretched man is still there. Paul said, I see as another
law in my members. Opposite from the law of my new
man, that new mind, that new spirit and heart that was imparted
in regenerating grace. God Almighty created something
that wasn't there. He creates a new man in his people. And thirdly, A sinner, one that
Christ shall save, is one that's made to see himself as being
a sinner. He sees himself. Two men went
into the temple one day to pray, and one of them was a Pharisee.
This is what he said about himself. He said, God, he prayed thus
with himself. I've told you before, that always
intrigued me, that statement. He prayed with himself. God, I thank Thee that I'm not
as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like
this low-life tax collector, this publican. But that publican
had a different prayer. It's what he said. He wouldn't
even lift up his eyes to heaven But smote upon his breast, and
he said, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. A sinner. Brother Scott used to say, and
I think, what a precious statement. He said, a sinner is a precious
thing. God's made him so. But that's who Christ came to
save. Sinners. You know why men, women, don't
see their need of a Savior, truly? Casting themselves upon the mercy
of God? Because they don't see themselves
as sinners. I am as other men are. That's
what that publican said. Apostle Paul, under the inspiration
of God's Spirit, declared that this is a faithful saying. worthy
of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to
save sinners and then gave this estimation of Himself, of whom
I am chief." I'm chief. You know, I've said before in
closing, I'm convinced Paul didn't say that just as a trying to
sound humble and people come up, oh no, Paul. No, Paul, you're really good.
You're really good. No, he meant it. And every believer
that knows something, growing in grace, growing in grace, you're
going to grow more and more aware of what you are, what I am by
nature. I'm a sinner. And I need a faithful
God to have mercy upon me. But my dear friends, Take heart. It was for sinners. Now, if you
see yourself, if you see yourself as helpless, I'm talking about
spiritually helpless, you have nothing. You have nothing to
offer God. You have no faith in yourself.
You have no free will in yourself. You have nothing. You have nothing. You have nothing. If you still
got a free will and stuff like this, I'm telling you, you're
still hanging on to a false hope. But I'm going to tell you something.
If God Almighty has revealed to you that it's not by the will
of the flesh, it's not by the will of man, but it's of God.
If God has revealed to you, you have no hope. And the Spirit
of God has given you a heart to realize, I need a Savior.
I'm going to tell you something. God's already done something
for you then. because you'd have never realized that before. But
if Almighty God has given you a heart to bow to Him in your
heart, to ask for mercy, mercy has already been shown. If you're
a sinner, one that can only sin, that's all you can do, one that
can see that in you is an old evil man, It's you can't control. I'm going to tell you something. God Almighty delights to show
mercy to sinners. May the Lord bless the word to
our hearts for Christ's sake.