Well, let us turn to this portion
that we've just read here in 1 Timothy chapter 1 and we concluded
our reading at verse 16. I'll read again those last two
verses of our reading, verses 15 and 16. 1 Timothy 1, 15 and
16. 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. Howbeit for this cause I obtain
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. You are probably aware that there
are a number of these faithful and true sayings scattered throughout
the pastoral epistles not only here in the first letter to Timothy
but also in that second epistle the gain in the epistle to Titus
faithful and true sayings and what a saying is this that we
have in verse 15 here we have the sum and substance of the
gospel faithful saying worthy of all acceptation that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It's interesting
because the syntax, the word order is somewhat different in
the Greek. It literally reads there Christ
Jesus came into the world sinners to save. I think that is significant
because we have those two words, in juxtaposition, worlds, and
sinners. He came into the world, sinners,
to say what a world it is. Remember what John says in his
first epistle. Love not the world, neither the
things that are in the world. All that is in the world, the
lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. When the world
passes away, and the loss thereof." Oh, it is a wicked world. And yet this is the world that
Christ Jesus came to because it is a world that's full of
many sinners. And here we have the faithful
saying. What is the faithful saying of God? Is it not really
the promise of the Gospel? All the promises of God in the
Lord Jesus Christ, we are told, are yea and amen to the glory
of God by us. God has not only given His words,
His promise, but He has confirmed it by oath. As we're told in
Hebrews 6, when God made promise to Abraham, because he could
swear by no greater, he swore by himself, saying, Blessing
I will bless how he has magnified his words above all his name
he swore by himself he confirmed his promise with that solemn
oath as it were we might say it and we say it reverently I
trust should God's word fail God himself must also fail an
impossibility of course he is the eternal God the unchanging
God he has sworn by himself and of course when we come to the
new covenant the new testament it's all sealed by the precious
blood of Christ the testator has died and the testament now
is in force. What a remarkable thing this
faithful and true saying that Christ Jesus came into the world
sinners to say and isn't Paul saying here that this was very
much demonstrated in his own life and in his own experience
when we look at the context of the words in the previous verses
speaking of himself verse 13 who was before a blasphemer and
a persecutor and injurious but I obtain mercy because I did
it ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was exceeding
abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. There are two perspectives as
it were in what Paul is saying in in these verses. Look at the word before the beginning
of verse 13 who was before the blasphemer and a persecutor and
injurious. He was very much a sinner before
he was a saint. And Paul, first of all, had to
learn, didn't he, that awful truth of his ignorance and his
unbelief. He was that proud Pharisee, sword
of Tarsus. who would boast touching the
righteousness of the Lord that he was blameless. But he wasn't
blameless. He was a sinner but he had no
proper understanding, no real insight into the spirituality
of the law of God. He had to first then learn something
of his own ignorance. and that he was really an unbeliever. And yet in all of this, of course,
he is that sacred sinner of whom Joseph Hart speaks. A sinner
is a sacred thing. The Holy Ghost that made him
so knew life from him. We must receive before for sin
we rightly grieve. And what do we see in verse 14?
He says, The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith
and love which is in Christ Jesus. How the faith was that that answered
to his awful unbelief. How the love was the answer to
all of his sad ignorance. He was a sinner, but a sinner
now saved by the grace of God. And then he goes on in verse
16. to make this statement, how be it for this cause I obtain
mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
for a pattern to them which would hereafter believe on him to life
everlasting. And I have many, many a time
over the years referred to the significance of what he is saying
in this verse and I do want us just to look at it for a while
again this evening. Paul the pattern believer a pattern
to them which should hereafter believe. It was dear Sidney Norton,
and some of you of course knew him very well and had the privilege
of fellowship with him and heard his ministry, but it was Sidney
Norton who used to emphasize this to me. Here is Paul, he
says he's a pattern to them which should hereafter believe. We know concerning the Old Testament
Paul tells us, doesn't he, there in 1 Corinthians chapter 10 and
verse 11. He speaks of those of the Old
Testament, all these things, he's writing of the experiences
of Moses in particular coming through the Red Sea, all these
things happened unto them for ensamples, he says, and they're
written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the world are
come. And in the margin it might say that that word ensample,
it's example. We wouldn't use the word ensample,
now we tend to speak of an example. But really, it's the word type,
tupos. And it might indicate that in
the margin of your Bibles. All these things happened unto
them. All these experiences that are recorded in the Old Testament
Scriptures, they were types. Israel, The nation, ethnic Israel
is atypical people. They are a type of the true people
of God, the spiritual Israel. The church of the Lord Jesus
Christ. And amongst those who are a type, of course, we have
to see a man like David. David is a type of his greatest
son, the Lord Jesus Christ. But not only that, David in a
sense is a type of every person who is a true believer in the
Lord Jesus. In Psalm 71, in verse 7, he says,
I am as a wonder unto many. Or as the Margin says, I am a
sign or a portents unto many. His experiences, of course, are
recorded for us in the Psalms. The Psalms is a remarkable book. It's full of the experience of
the psalmist. He writes out of the depths of
his own soul. And there surely we see that
we can learn from the experience of a man like Davy. The Old Testament's a spiritual
book, not just a matter of history. It is that, but it's more than
that. And David's experiences are left
on record for our good, for our encouragement. But when we come
to the New Testament, we have this man, Paul, making this statement
here in the 16th verse concerning himself. For this cause, he says, I obtain
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. And I want, as we look at the
words for a little while, just to deal with two things. First
of all, the pattern that we can see in Paul's experience. And
then secondly, to say something with regards to the longsuffering
of the Lord Jesus Christ. just those two points I want
to try to deal with first of all the pattern that set forth
in Paul's experience look at the words again that are used
we believe in the inspiration of the word the verbal inspiration
the words are important words and he says for this cause I
obtained mercy that in me comes now to a purpose in the second
clause and the purpose is this in order that in me Jesus Christ
might show forth all long-suffering for a pattern that's the strength
of what he says and he says in me first interestingly the word
that he uses here is that word from which we have our English
word a prototype He's not first in the sense of the order of
time. There were those who were believers in the Lord Jesus Christ
before Saul of Tarsus. He was not one of those who was
the follower of Christ during the days when he was here upon
the earth. He says in Corinthians 15, doesn't he, that he was caught
out of due time. He wasn't the first in time.
No, what he is saying here is that, in a sense, his experience
is the foremost. It's the same word, first, that
is rendered chief at the end of verse 15. You know, Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am first. I am chief. So he's speaking
of himself here, in verse 16, really as a prototype, a pattern,
a pattern. The only other time this word
is used is in 2nd Timothy, there in chapter 1 at verse 13, he
says, "...hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast
heard of me." this particular word, there might be other forms
of the words but the only other time where exactly the same word
is used is there in that opening chapter of the second letter
to Timothy hold fast the form of sound words
which thou hast heard of me and the form there is in a sense
the outline of the truth the outliner of the doctrines. Remember the words that we have
in Romans 6 and verse 17 for speaks to the church there of
that form of doctrine which was delivered to you. That form of
doctrine which was delivered to you. And the margin, interestingly,
gives an alternative that form of doctrine where to you were
delivered. Not so much that the doctrine
was delivered to them, but they were delivered to the doctrine.
And wasn't that the case with regards to Paul's own experience? He tells us, we have these portions
in the various epistles that Paul has written here in the
New Testament, and amongst them, of course, he says much concerning
his experience in Galatians chapters 1 and 2. and he speaks of how
the gospel came to him when he pleased God he says to reveal
his son in man there was something wrought in his soul there was
something accomplished in the depths of that man's being such
a profound experience of the grace of God that form of doctrine
where to you were delivered it wasn't just that God revealed
his son to me Paul says he revealed his son in me we said before
the importance of these little words, these prepositions we're
not to pass over them and as I say Paul in the various epistles
does on occasions write about himself he does it in Romans
chapter 7 he does it several times writing to the church at
Corinth in 2nd Corinthians 11 and 12 he has to do it there
of course to the Corinthians because the false teachers had
come in and turned many against Paul and he has to establish
his authority as an apostle so he speaks of his own experience
that he wants to speak of himself he does it also in a remarkable
way in the 3rd chapter of Philippians And so when we come to examine
the writings of this man we see that there are always those three
elements in Paul's epistles. There's doctrine. All the importance
of doctrine. The first part of the epistles
so often is full of most profound doctrine. He defines what the
gospel is. And then we have the practical
parts. after setting forth the great
truths of scripture the unfolding of that mystery that God has
revealed in these last days with the coming of his son and now
the gospel going out to Gentiles and of course many of these letters
are written to Gentile churches well having spelt out the doctrine
he then at the end of the epistles will make plain the importance
of of the practice. He makes certain deductions.
If these things are true, it should affect the way you are
conducting yourselves, the way you're living your lives. If
you're true followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's not just
doctrine, it's also practice. But then also, as I've said, he on occasion weaves
in to the epistles some personal testimony. He speaks of himself,
he speaks of his experiences. And it was necessary in order
that this verse that we're looking at might prove to be true. That
in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all longsuffering
for a pattern. He's compelled, therefore, to
speak of himself. Now, when we speak of him as
a pattern we're not to go away imagining that we're all going
to have the same experiences as he had. He was called to do
a remarkable work. He was an apostle. The apostle
to the Gentiles in particular. And there are no more apostles.
The church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and
the New Testament prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief
cornerstone. The foundation is laid in the
apostles. If any claims to be an apostle
today, we know they are false teachers. There are no longer
apostles, they were just those twelve whom the Lord himself
calls and appoints to that solemn office. Paul amongst them, they
were all able to bear testimony to the blessed truth of the resurrection
of the Lord Jesus. Whilst we recognize that there
was that that was unique about his office and unique about his
experience because of the work that he's being called to do,
there are still principles that we can take from his life and
learn. He says it to the churches, doesn't
he? In 1 Corinthians 11 verse 1, Be ye followers of me, even
as I also am of Christ. Michael himself then is a pattern
to follow to the Philippians, Philippians 3.17, Brethren, be
followers together of me. And what do we see in Paul? We see very clearly the sovereignty,
the remarkable sovereignty of the grace of God in the salvation
of a sinner. Who was this man? He was he was
one who very much provoked the Lord he was a Pharisee he was a self-righteous
man and he was very much a hater of those who were followers of
Jesus of Nazareth he was a persecutor look at what he says here in
verse 13 who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious
but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief."
Now what is Paul saying here? He's not pleading that there
were extenuating circumstances and so he was to be excused for
what he was doing as a as a persecutor and a blasphemer if we read verse
13 in that superficial way we might come away with that impression
as if he's making an excuse I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly
in unbelief Gell says here ignorance is a
consequence of man's fault Ignorance is not an excuse but an aggravation
of sin. That's a comment that Gill makes
concerning what Paul is saying. Ignorance is not an excuse rather
is it an aggravation. What is the consequence of the
fall? Man has no proper knowledge of
God. Where there is the new birth
where there is the grace of God salvation coming to the soul
of the sinner he puts on the new man with a toad which is
renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him
well the knowledge of God is gone men are ignorant and their
ignorance is an awful sin it's interesting isn't it when we
read the Levitical laws and the various sacrifices that were
to be offered there in chapter 4, we see that there were to
be sin offerings made for sins of ignorance. So ignorance is
not in any way an excuse. What does he say here at the
end of verse 13? I did it ignorantly, he says,
in unbelief. His ignorance is bound up with
unbelief. And of course unbelief is the
root of all sin. It's the root of all our sins. As I've said before, what was
the sin of Adam and Eve there in the Garden of Eden, the record
that we have in Genesis chapter 3, it was unbelief. They embraced the lie of the
devil. and they reject the truth of
God. God said concerning that tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, in the day that they eat us thereof they shall surely
die. And the devil says they shall
not surely die. And in unbelief they accept what
the devil says and they reject what God says. Unbelief, it is
the sin which does so easily beset us and how it clings, how
it clings to us, to our fallen nature. sometimes one feels well
I'm such an unbelieving believer or could I but believe then all
would easy be I would but can not Lord relieve my help must
come from thee says good John Newton in the hymn and how true
are those words the impossibility of faith it's unbelief and this
is what Paul is saying you see he was a remarkable example really
of how the grace of God overcomes every opposition in the salvation
of the sinner he was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious he obtained
mercy because he did it ignorantly in unbelief he was a great sinner all that sinner so sacred you
see when the Lord God begins to deal with him the grace of
our Lord was exceeding abundant all the aboundings where sin
abounds grace does so much more abound the grace of our Lord
was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus
you see this gospel of which Paul is speaking who does it
suit? it suits the sinner it suits
the sinner this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom
I am she. All sinners can say, and none
but they, how precious is the Savior. Can we say that tonight,
how precious? How precious is the Savior? Because
we feel we need Him. and we need him more now than
the day we first ever believed in him. But let us turn in the second
place just to say a little with regards to the long-suffering
of the Lord Jesus Christ and he speaks of it here. 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. What is this that
he's speaking of long-suffering? Well, it's the divine patience.
Oh, this man, he was a persecutor. Back in Acts 7, remember the
record of Stephen, the first martyr, the first Christian martyr?
And those who stoned him, they come and they lay their garments
at the feet of this man called Saul. and then he obtains letters
from the chief priest, he's going to Damascus, he's bent on the
destruction of all those who are followers of Jesus of Nazareth.
He's so proud of his pedigree, he's a Pharisee, he's the son
of a Pharisee, he'd been schooled at the feet of Gamaliel, one
of the great rabbis. He lived the life of a Pharisee. his own ministry the Lord exposes
the Pharisees and Pharisaic religion that was his religion what a
provocation it must have been to the Lord Jesus and yet how
long suffering Christ is towards the sinner think of the words
that we have in 2 Peter 3 and verse 9 the Lord is not slack
concerning his promises as some men count slackness but not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to the knowledge of the truth not slack to Oswald concerning
his promises it's a verse isn't it that's much abused because
there are those who seize on that verse and say well look
how the Lord is long-suffering with everybody he's not willing
that any should perish, he wants to save everybody that's how
the Arminian interprets that word but he doesn't say that,
does he? if we look at it more closely he's not concerning his
promises to Oswald, he says Oswald it's those that he's writing
to the reference isn't to the world,
it's to the elect the second epistle beloved I
now write unto you he says now that's the second letter but
there was a letter before that and now does he open that first
letter Peter an apostle of Jesus Christ and then he goes on to
describe whom he is writing this letter to in the second verse
our elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through sanctification
of the spirits unto obedience of the blood and sprinkling of
Jesus Christ those are the ones he's writing to and he speaks
there of course of all the persons in the Godhead that he elects
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father how the Father
has set his sovereign love upon them known them from all eternity
and he speaks of the sanctification of the Spirit the Spirit is working
in their hearts and they are brought unto the obedience of
the sprinkling and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, the
Saviour of sinners. These are the ones who are being
spoken of then when he speaks of that long-suffering. The Lord
is not slack concerning his promises to Oswald, as some men can slackness, but not willing that any should
perish, but all should come to repentance, he says. God's long-suffering,
then, is not a license to sin. It's no license to sin that God
is a patient God and a long-suffering God. It leads those who are the election
of grace to true repentance, the importance of repentance.
Again, the language of the same apostle, the apostle Paul now
really in Romans 2 and verse 4 despises so the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and long-suffering not knowing that
the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance oh God is a long-suffering
God he's a long-suffering God he's long-suffering with his
people he bears long with them his patience but his patience
is not to be abused with the desire that we might know what
it is to come to that obedience unto the blood and sprinkling
of the Lord Jesus, that true faith, that real evangelical
repentance which was so demonstrated in the life of this man Paul. The pattern to them which should
hereafter, he says, believe. It all must ultimately come to
that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and whatsoever is not
of faith is sin or without faith it is impossible
to please him but what a pattern is this this man of faith Saul
the Pharisee who becomes Paul the Apostle and so we have him
here in the text speaking of his own experience and that experience
left on record here in Holy Scripture and why for our encouragement
just as we see with regards to those of the Old Testament whatever
things were written before time were written for our learning
that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might
have hope are there those who are patterns in the Old Testament
Well, so there is one here who is a pattern in the New Testament
that we might have that grace of hope and of confidence. Will the Lord be pleased to bless
this word to us? Now, before we come to a time
of prayer, let us sing God's praise in our second hymn. Number
278, the tune St. Paul's, number 62. We'll omit
verses 6 and 7. We'll sing the first five verses
of 278. I know the Lord is nigh and would
but cannot pray for Satan meets me when I try and frights my
soul away. 278, omitting verses 6 and 7,
the tune number 62.