Well, it's good to see you this
evening. Let's take our Bibles and turn
with me to the book of 1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy 1. A few weeks ago, I dealt with
1st Timothy chapter 1 verse 16. I preached on this subject, a
pattern of mercy. And I began to look at verse
15 in 1st Timothy and I planned to preach out of that passage,
verse 15. I planned to preach out of that
tonight. And I began looking at that verse,
and I think what I'm going to do is I'm going to preach on
the last portion of verse 15 tonight, and then Lord willing,
Sunday, I'll preach out of the whole verse, 1 Timothy. So we've been in 1 Timothy 1
for a few times here, but I tell you, I think that there's something
that we need We need to consider, before we look at this last part
of 1 Timothy 1.15, let's ask our Lord's blessing. Our Father, we thank you for
the evening and for this time to meet together. Lord, I am
so thankful that you've allowed us to be here. Bless the service. May Christ be honored. Forgive
us for Christ's sake. Amen. The Apostle Paul is saying in that 15th verse, he
said, this is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners and then
he makes this statement, of whom I am chief. You know, when a man says or
speaks of the greatest sinner, the greatest sinner. I've entitled
this message, The Greatest Sinner Ever Saved. And when we start
thinking about the greatest sinner, our minds would naturally go
to someone that just a heinous, in our opinion, most evil, vile,
wicked, I mean, it's got to be a Hitler or a Saddam Hussein. It's got to be a, I mean, some
mass murderer. I mean, some wild, crazed rebel. I can't think of how vile someone
must be to be the chief of sinners, the dreg of society
and of all history. Nobody would ever come to beat
whoever that was. Paul the Apostle steps up under
the inspiration of God's Spirit and says, I give place to no
man. No man has this place except
me being the chief of sinners. My, what a work of grace, what
a change a work of grace makes in a man. There was a time when
according to scriptures, now this is the way that Paul the
Apostle says that he was. There was a time when Paul saw
himself as the chief of saints. There was no one, in Paul's opinion,
better, more consistent, better positioned, before God than he."
Listen to what he said, circumcised the eighth day of the stock of
Israel, of God's chosen people, of the tribe of Benjamin, and
Hebrew of the Hebrews, and touching the law of Pharisee, concerning
zeal Persecuting the church. Those that made claim that Jesus
of Nazareth was God. He was going to get those that
were of the way. Touching righteousness which
is in the law. Now listen to this word. Blameless. Paul said, you could not find
one thing that I was inconsistent in when it comes to the law. I mean, we read that and we think,
did he really think that? Yeah. Yeah. Saul of Tarsus considered himself
to be like those that so many speak of with such fondness.
I had someone tell me this. yesterday about one of their
relatives. This is what they said. If anybody
ever got in heaven, I know that my relative did. They were the
finest person. Couldn't find anybody that had
anything bad to say about them. They were always considerate.
You know what I'm saying. If anybody ever got into heaven,
They did. But now here is a man regenerated
by the grace of God. This man, according to God's
Word, the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ to Ananias in Damascus. When the Lord said to Ananias,
you go over to this house, there is one Saul of Tarsus. And Ananias
said, we've heard of him. He's wreaking havoc with your
people. And the Lord said, He is a chosen
vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings
and the children of Israel. And that man, after God called
him out of darkness, said this, I am the chief of sinners. Not was. He didn't say I was. Now, he was before. You know,
he was a blasphemer and he was, you know, injurious and he, you
know, wreaked havoc. He didn't say I was the chief
of sinners. Though, he was. But he said concerning
sinners, he said of whom I am chief. Here is a man born of
God, one that possesses a new nature, one that God has imparted
His Spirit, one in whom God Himself dwells. The Scripture, you know this,
the Scripture says, That man, that which is born of God, concerning
sin, now what does the scripture say? Doth not sin. That which is born of God doth
not sin. Why? For his seed, God's seed,
remaineth in him and he cannot sin. He cannot. That which is born of God cannot
sin. because he's born of God. That's 1 John 3, 9. That which
is born of God sinneth not. He cannot. Now here's a man,
on the other hand, that cannot not sin. Here's one that cannot
do anything but sin and one that cannot sin. Two natures. And that new man is speaking
when he says, of whom I am chief concerning
being a sinner. Here's a new man speaking of
himself. Now I began to read that this
morning and I wondered, I just wondered. I've read it and I've
read it and I've read it and I thought I know this for a fact. I know that it wasn't. When Paul
said, I'm the chief of sinners, I know that he was not saying
that he loved sin. I know that. I know that he was
not saying that he gloried in sin. I know that. Now here's
what he said in Romans 7.15. He said, for what I would, and
that word would there means no. He said, what I know. That is
concerning obedience, righteousness, holiness, consistency. What I know, what I would, that
do I not. Now this is a believer talking.
But what I hate, let me ask you this, what do you hate? Don't
you hate inconsistency before God? Don't you hate disobedience?
Don't you hate that? He said, but what I hate, That
do I. That's what I do. Here's a sinner
that God has imparted his spirit. A sinner that's spoken of like
in Ezekiel 36, 27. He said, I'm going to give you
a new heart. You're going to walk in my statutes.
You're going to keep my judgments. And you're going to do them.
You're going to do them. And here is a man that God has given
a heart just like that. What is that right there? They
believe God. This is the essence of obedience. Abraham believed God. And here is this man that has
cast himself upon Christ. Lord, what would you have me
to do? Saul, Saul, why persecute us? Who are you? I'm Jesus that you're
persecuting, Lord. What would you have me to do?
Here was the Apostle Paul looking for the sure return of the Lord
Jesus Christ, waiting on Him, hearing His voice. He said, Christ Jesus came to
the world to save sinners, of whom I'm chief. Obviously, Paul knew something
about himself. And I wanted to look in the Scriptures
and find out what is it? What is it? What does Paul say
that he saw in himself and others like him? Right here, us, us. Right here, that know it. What
is it about a man or woman regenerated by the grace of God that causes
them to say they are the chief of sinners. Well, here's the
first thing I know. The chief of sinners realizes
something now of his former ignorance of God's law. Now, this is what
I mean. Listen to this scripture. Romans
7, 9 to 10. For I was alive without the law
once. When Paul said concerning the
law I was blameless, this is what he's talking about. I saw
myself as alive spiritually because of my consistency and obedience.
I was alive without the law once. But when the commandment came
in regenerating grace, sin revived. And I died in the commandment
which was ordained to life. I found to be unto me death. The commandment which was ordained
to life, do and live. You know, keep the ten commandments,
you do and live. That which was ordained to life,
I found to be unto me death. for sin taking the occasion by
the commandment to deceive me. Sin deceived me. And it slew me. Before I was
pretty good. And now I offend in every point. Without a spiritual knowledge
of God's holiness, the holiness of God's law, a realization of
my inability to keep it, sin is present. But a believer doesn't
see it. How many unbelievers do you know
that are just tore all to pieces about their inconsistency? How
many unbelievers do you know that they're just grieved over
their disobedience before God? How many do you know? None. None. Now listen. I'm just honest. An unbeliever
just doesn't care. He just doesn't care. He hears
what I'm saying to him. He fancies himself to be somehow
alive before God. He justifies it in his mind.
But when the Spirit of God imparts life and gives a new heart, creates
that new man in Christ Jesus, that regenerated sinner now sees
the evil of his old man. He realizes, I was born dead
in Adam and dead to God. The chief of sinners sees something
now of the holiness of God's law. This is what the chief of
sinners says. I can't keep it. God's law is holy and just and
good. He sees as the chief of sinners,
secondly, not only the effects of sins outwardly, but the root
of it. is right here still with me. Romans 7, 21, I find then a law
that when I would do good, evil is present with me. Verse 23,
but 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. A believer sees that battle that's
going on and he sees the wretchedness of what he is inside. And he
wills and he has a sincere urge to be perfect. What believer
here does not want to be perfect and walk perfectly before God? There's not a believer in this
congregation this morning or tonight that's saying, well,
it doesn't really matter to me. how I walk before God, I mean,
I'm okay. It doesn't matter. Not a believer.
Every believer is tore all to pieces. He realizes, I just don't have
any power to carry out what I really love. That old wretched sinner
struggles within, crying from the Very depths of his being,
the new man cries and says, who shall deliver me from this body
of death? Paul realized. He said, I've
sinned against light. Brings me to my third point.
The chief of sinners. Now here's the chief of sinners.
He recognizes something about how inconsistent he is. That's
the chief of sinners. Here was an example concerning
Paul. Paul said, I'm just like this.
Another apostle, one just like Paul, Peter. The Lord said to
Peter one day, he said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired
to have you that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed
for thee that thy faith fail not. And when thou art converted,
He was already converted spiritually. But when you're taught concerning
what I'm telling you, Peter, when you become learned, when
you're converted, you strengthen the brethren. Because you're
going to know something, Peter, about what I'm talking about
right now. You know, you don't really know anything that you've
not experienced. If you're going through something,
a trial, a tribulation, and I've been there, and I tell you, I
know how you feel, and you think to yourself, you know what? He
does know how I feel. He's been there. But if I don't
have any knowledge of it, I don't know. Peter, when you're converted,
you strengthen the brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I
am ready to go with thee both unto prison and death, And the
Lord said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this
day. Now you listen, Peter. You listen
to what I'm saying. I'm talking about today. I'm
not talking about something that is going to happen in months
or months or months or years from now. I'm talking about today. The cock shall not crow this
day before that thou shall thrice deny that you know me. You'll deny me three times. You'll
tell people, I don't know you." That very day, Peter crossed
the path of a little maid, and she earnestly looked upon him
as he sat by the fire. And soon she said, this man was
also with him. And Peter denied, saying, woman,
I know him not. I don't know him. Not very long
after, another one said, Thou art also with him. And Peter
said, Man, I'm not. And about the space of an hour,
the scripture says another confidently affirmed saying of the truth,
This fellow also was with him, for he is a Galilean. And Peter
said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while
he was talking, The cock crew and the Lord turned
and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word
of the Lord, how he said unto him, before the cock crow, thou
shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out and wept bitterly. Here's the chief of sinners.
This is what the chief of sinners does. He finds himself often. truthfully always, knowing to
do the right thing and not doing it. He knows the right thing
and he doesn't do it. James 4.17 says, Therefore to
him that knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him it is sin. To him it's rebellion against
God. To know the right thing to do, whatever it is, whatever
the right thing to do. Luke 5, the Lord was preaching
one day to a group of people. He finished preaching and he
said, Simon, they were in a boat. Simon, launch out into the deep.
Let down your nets for a draught. Simon, drop your nets over here. Simon answering unto him said,
Master, I could just imagine. I mean, this is me. This is my
attitude. I'll go ahead and admit it. Master,
we've toiled all night and we've taken nothing. Nevertheless,
at thy word, I'll let down the net. Lord, this is what I, I'm a professional. Lord, I've done this. Lord, I've
done that. Lord, I've been here. Lord, I've
been doing this. I've just, you know... And the
leadership of God's Spirit says, I want you to do this. But Lord, that is in my mind
now. I would never say this outwardly.
But I'm just thinking, this is not consistent with what I... what I would feel is the right
thing to do. This doesn't fit the way I see things going. This is not what you're directing
or what you're leading me to do here. This is not right. Lord, we've toiled all night. I'm tired. And we've not caught
anything. We fished this. We fished it.
This spot is not good. Nevertheless, if I were, it's
almost, I just, I can see, I can see sarcasm. I can see doubt. I can see, you know, they let
down the nets. The scripture says they enclosed
such a great multitude of fish that their nets broke. They beckoned for their partners
in the other ship to come help them. They came and filled both
ships to the point of sinking. All of that arguing, all of that
bickering, all of that doubt in his mind. I don't know why you would have
me do this. This is not the way I had it
planned. And here comes all this abundance
of yield. And the scripture says when Simon
Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees and said, Depart
from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord. Why did I ever doubt
you? Why did I question you? Lord,
I feel so unworthy to be in your presence. I find myself coming to a point
of being embarrassed. Forgive me. I am so sorry. I've acted so disrespectfully
in your sight. In that moment, Peter knew, I've
doubted you and I've exalted myself. He felt unworthy the way it acted in the light
of God's Word. Now let me ask you this in closing.
Would you desire to see something of the characteristic of the
chief of sinners? This is what he's like in closing.
He realizes how ignorant he was before God saved him, but how
ignorant he is right now. Job 8 and 9, for we are but of
yesterday, and know nothing. Because our days upon earth are
a shadow, and concerning our daily life, we don't know what
tomorrow will bring. Well, I'm going to do this, I'm
going to do that, this way I got a plan, I'm going to come in
that city, and I'm going to buy and sell, I'm going to make money,
we're going to have a big bank account, I've got it computed
out, and we're going to do this, that, and the other. How do you
know? Listen to this scripture. What we ought to say concerning
tomorrow is, if the Lord will. I read these next three words
a few minutes ago sitting in my study here, and I just had
to underline these next few words. If the Lord will, we shall live and do this or do that. I'm going to do this, I'm going
to do that, I'm going to... This is what I'm going to...
You don't even know if you're going to see the light of morning. The chief of sinners knows, the
chief of sinners knows, I've been way too presumptuous on
God. Way too presumptuous. He sees
his outward failures and knows it's because of continual presence
of sin within. He sees the inconsistency of
his walk. But I can tell you this concerning
the chief of sinners. He knows that he has no other
hope but God's mercy in Christ. He's going to say like Job, though
he slay me, yet will I trust him. If He kills me tonight,
where else am I going to go? What am I going to do? What am
I going to do? He has one consolation for life
eternal. Christ Jesus came into this world
to save sinners. And I don't have any confidence
in my flesh. Concerning the characteristics
of the chief of sinners, let me ask all of us, ever believer. Are we not the chief of sinners?
What was different to Paul than us? Would you find yourself saying,
Paul, I esteem you more highly than
myself. Paul, the things I've read concerning
your consistency in these scriptures, I've never seen myself do that. Paul said, I'm the chief of sinners. Blessed is the man that sees
himself the chief of sinners. One that needs a savior, I need
the Lord to save me. Blessed is the chief of sinners
that is done with self admiration and self justification. Blessed
is the man, the chief of sinners, that cannot do anything to establish
salvation before God. You see yourself like this. And I've got some good news for
you. You're the one that Christ came to save. Lord, bless the
Word to our heart. Amen.