Sovereign Grace Chapel, located
at 135 Annabel Lane in Beaver, West Virginia, invites you to
listen to a gospel message concerning Jesus Christ our Lord. If you would, if you have your
Bibles this morning, please turn with me to 1 Timothy chapter
one. 1 Timothy chapter one. I want to read verses 12 through
15. And I thank Christ Jesus our
Lord who hath enabled me for that he had counted me faithful,
putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and
a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained 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. 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. Here in this passage, we have
Paul the Apostle speaking or writing to Timothy. I want to go through this passage,
but mainly verse 15 in detail. to pull out everything that the
apostle to the Gentiles is telling us by inspiration of the Spirit
of God. First, he tells us in this verse,
verse 15, this is a faithful saying. This word here means
a trustful or a trustworthy saying. What Paul is about to tell us
is something that he is a believing saying. The saying is faithful,
but the one that this is said about, that is Jesus Christ,
was faithful to this end, as we will see. So what we read
in this saying that it is faithful, it is faithful in that he who
did this was faithful to do it. But not only that, he also says
it is worthy of all acceptation. This saying deserves all our
attention. It deserves all our belief. It deserves all acceptance. That is from man, for sure, but
this is also worthy of acceptance of God. It says all acceptation. And we know God Almighty accepted
what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did because he was faithful
to the covenant made with the Father. So what is a believing
or faithful saying that is worthy of all acceptance? First of all,
Christ Jesus came into the world. To know what is being said here,
we must know who Christ Jesus is. We all know that Jesus was
born in Bethlehem, so we know that Jesus was a man. But this
is not the whole truth. In Matthew 1 and verse 20, we
read, But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel
of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou
son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for
that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ
was fathered of God Almighty. We can get, we can, What we get
from this is Jesus Christ is the son of God, but scripture
goes on even further with this. What does Jesus Christ tell us
himself? In John 10 and verse 30 he says,
I and my father are one. Who is Jesus Christ's father?
God Almighty, the creator of all things. In John 1 and verse
3 we read, All things were made by him, and without him was not
anything made that was made. Jesus says here that he is the
same as God the Father. They are one. It is Jesus Christ
that created the world and all that is in it. What does this
mean? This means that Jesus is God. So not only is Jesus a man, but
he is also God. Not two separate entities, he
is not God and man, but he is the God-man. God manifests in
the flesh. Now there's something else here
it says. It says Christ Jesus. So who
is the Christ? The word Christ means the anointed
one, the Messiah. The Christ is the one for which
the whole scripture speaks about. It is that one that spoke to
Adam and Eve in the garden and said to them that her seed shall
bruise the head of the serpent and the serpent would bruise
his heel. This is what that chosen one,
the anointed one would do. This is confirmed to us in the
New Testament. It is confirmed in many places,
but we read in Matthew 16, if you'll turn with me there, Matthew
16. Matthew 16, verses 15 and 16. He saith unto them, but whom say
ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and
said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Peter
says this, but Jesus confirms it in verse 17. And Jesus answered
and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh
and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven. Now turn with me to Luke 2, Luke
2, verses 25 through 30. Let's see one more place where
it talks about Messiah. Luke 2, verses 25 through 30. And behold, there was a man in
Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and the same man was just and
devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel. and the Holy Ghost
was upon him. And it was revealed unto him
by the Holy Ghost that he should not see death before he had seen
the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into
the temple. And when the parents brought
in the child Jesus to do for him after the custom of the law,
then took he him up in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord,
now let us thou thy servant depart in peace according to thy word. For mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Jesus Christ the Messiah is that
one that was promised to come which would defeat Satan. Genesis
315, which we've already mentioned before, says, and I will put
enmity, that is God, between thee and the woman, and between
thy seed and her seed, that is Jesus Christ. It shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. So what is it that
this Jesus, this Christ, came to do? The Messiah, the word
means. Throughout all of scripture,
we read that the Messiah was come to do something specific. It says here in our passage,
it says to save sinners. First of all, this statement
necessitates two things. We first have to have sinners
who will be saved, and then we have to have a savior that saves
these sinners. We can just See, just by looking
at what Paul says about himself in this passage, what a sinner
he is. Not everyone is a sinner, though. That is, not everyone
thinks they are a sinner. Being a sinner is not just a
talking point where we read a passage and apply it to all mankind.
For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. This
statement is certainly true. But being a sinner is much more
than thinking all men are sinners. Jesus Christ himself tells us,
he that is whole need not a physician. When Jesus heard it, he saith
unto them, they that are whole have no need of the physician,
but they that are sick, it says in Mark 2, verse 17. He is not talking here about
physically sick people as opposed to those who have good health.
Because it goes on to say, in verse 17, it says, I came not
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. There are those
who think themselves to be righteous. I said they think they are. They
may have these thoughts or may even say something like this.
I'm at least not as bad as so and so. Or, I have not been that
bad. Or, I'm a pretty good person. They may think or say this, but
they are dead wrong. We know that scripture tells
us there is none righteous, no, not one. Romans three, verses
nine and 10, it says this. What then? Are we better than
they? No, in no wise, for we have before
both proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin.
As it is written, there is none righteous, no, not one. If you think you are righteous,
and that is righteous before a holy, just God, we are not
talking about righteousness before men. We are talking about righteousness
before a holy just God, and if you think you are righteous before
a holy just God, then you do not need that great physician,
Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save that which was lost.
Also, scripture tells us that our best deeds, that is, our
righteousnesses, are as filthy rags in God's sight. Isaiah 64.6
clearly declares this. But we are all as an unclean
thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags, and we all
do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us
away. Being a sinner is that one whom
God has moved on in mercy, and that moving in mercy causes those
to be cut to the core, to be brought low in the dust. These
are they that know themselves to be a sinner, no matter if
there's not another sinner around other than them. Just as the
publican said, and would not so much lift up his eyes to heaven,
he said, Lord, be merciful, that is propitious to me, the sinner. We can read what Paul says about
himself in verse 13. 1 Timothy 1 and verse 13. It says, who was before a blasphemer
and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy because
I did it ignorantly in unbelief. But he says later in the passage
in 1 Timothy 1 verses 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. Jesus Christ, that is God, was
longsuffering towards Paul himself, is what he's saying. Jesus Christ
died for him while he was yet an enemy of God. A blasphemer,
persecutor, injurious. But in time he came to Paul who
was yet breathing out threatenings against God and his people, it
says in the Acts of the Apostles. And God put his face, that is
Paul or Saul, put his face in the dust physically and spiritually. God changed Paul, that is Saul's
mind about his righteousness, his own personal righteousness
that he thought he had. He, that is God, stripped him
of all righteousness, leaving him naked before God and unable
to do anything. He is telling us that he was
a sinner, and in fact, the prototype of a sinner. That is, he really
sinned against God, and he knew what he was, and he knew that
he did this in and of himself. If we see ourselves just as Paul
seen himself, an enemy of God, then it might be, it just might
be, we might be starting to see something. Maybe there is still
hope for you if you are seeing this. But thank God, this says
here that Christ Jesus' whole purpose for coming into this
world was to save sinners. This coming from a truthful saying
which is worthy of all acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world
for the express purpose of saving sinners. So if you are not a
sinner, and I mean like the publican, like Paul the apostle, Such a
sinner that you know you are the worst of all sinners. If
you are not a sinner, then Jesus Christ did not come into this
world for you at all. What does it take to be a savior
of sinners? First of all, God is just and
sin will not just be brushed under the rug. God will not just
wink at sin and say it's okay. God is a just God, and scripture
says he will not at all acquit the guilty. So where does that
leave me, who am a sinner beyond any doubt, or you if you are
a sinner in this way? I say it this way because it
is not just a matter of saying you are a sinner. It is not just
about repeating after someone that you are a sinner. You are
a sinner if you know yourself to be one. You can feel it to
be so. You can taste it to be so. Knowing
that if you die in this state, that God will surely condemn
you to death for eternity. This is being a sinner. God is
infinite and he does not change. Man is finite and changes all
the time. Man corrupts God's way all the
time as we are born in Adam. Mankind's heart is desperately
wicked and we cannot even know it, it says in Jeremiah. So I
cannot do that for which he has commanded me to do for life before
him. That is, keep God's law. Scripture says that all the law
is to me is death. It only shows me how dead I am. that is totally incapable of
keeping God's law in order that I might have life before him. In fact, scripture says that
if a law could have been given, which would have given life,
then righteousness should have been by the law. But the problem
is not with God's law. The problem is with mankind,
that is, human beings, that is, men and women. We have no ability
to keep God's law, none. Not keeping God's law is sin. Since we do not have the ability
to keep his law, this condemns us to death. We have no way to
change that ourselves of our own ability. So how is it that
this savior of sinners will save these sinners? If we have no
ability to obey God and we have broken God's law, and that is
evident that we have, then how can Jesus Christ save sinners? This is that one which was from
the beginning. He is that one where Abraham
speaking to Isaac when Abraham was going up to offer on the
mount, was going up to offer up Isaac. He told Isaac that
God would provide himself a sacrifice. God must have payment for our
sin against him. The only payment for this is
blood. A sacrifice had to be made. But
it was not just any death or any sacrifice. This sacrifice
had to be spotless. No blemish in or on this sacrifice. God will have the best. He does not want some lame, blind,
or halted sacrifice. Only a spotless lamb would be
well pleasing unto God the Father. He, him being God, that is Jesus
Christ, kept God's law perfectly. So he was the spotless sacrifice. So since we have no ability to
please God, it cannot be us that can pay the price for sinners,
even for our own sins. We do not hold a purse big enough
for this purchase price. We are so full of imperfections
and blemishes, if we are to die for our sins, we would have to
die eternally to satisfy an eternal God. But Jesus Christ coming
down to this earth, it teaches he condescended. The Lord of
all glory confined himself to a womb of a virgin for around
nine months. He purposed to be born in such
a place that he had very little. He walked this earth and worked
with his own hands, probably had dirt under his fingernails.
He sweat just like you and I. Yet he did not complain about
his circumstances, not one time. We are talking about God Almighty
manifest in the flesh. He went to the cross being beaten
for no reason, being spat upon, given lashes, and all this was
done to the extent that his visage was marred. You could not even
tell who he was once all this was done. and he never opened
his mouth to anyone for anything that they were doing to him.
But this was not even the worst part. The part for which he was
set like a flint was about to come. That time when there were
three hours of darkness, in the which he hanging on that tree
cried with a loud voice, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken
me? Why was he forsaken of God? Jesus
Christ was made sin for us. He was made what you and I are
by nature. And we read this clearly in 2
Corinthians 5 verse 21. For he, that is God, made him,
that is Jesus Christ the Son, to be sin for us. For who knew
no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him? Then in complete power and authority,
he said, it is finished. Also in complete power and authority,
he raised from the grave and he ascended to the uttermost. Salvation is not due. Salvation
is done, complete, finished. Before God Almighty got a hold
on me, I was going about to establish my own righteousness. I was going
around doing, doing, doing. But once this sovereign God got
a hold of me by his power, his authority, his purpose, his will,
I started to see that all my doing was vain. and nothing but
filthy rags in his sight. But he also enabled me to see
that salvation was already done. He accomplished it on that tree.
He told us he did. He said, it is finished. That is the gospel. And knowing
this, that is the gospel, or rather knowing him, he will make
you free indeed. You cannot will or choose to
come to him, scripture says, in John 1 and verse 13, of those
who know Christ, who have been given life by God. It says, which
were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of
the will of man, but of God. You will only do this if He is
willing to do so. If it is He that has purpose
to save you from your sins. If you are one of those who He
chose from before the foundation of the world in Jesus Christ.
That is God Almighty elected Jesus Christ. That is He chose
Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the elect of
God. And then He chose us in Him. If he is not willing, then he
did not come into this world to save you. If you do not like
this, or you do not agree with this, it is just evidence that
this is so. All for whom he has done this
will in time be bowed down to him by his power, by his authority,
by his will, and will confess with their tongue before men.
Jesus Christ is Lord. It tells us in our passage that
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. From the preponderant
testimony of Scripture, we see this has been done. It says in
Matthew about Christ Jesus that He shall save His people from
their sin. We see that he was crucified
on that tree, being the perfect spotless lamb, who was made sin
for his people, being forsaken of God the Father. God forsaking
God. I cannot explain that. He, proclaiming to us that salvation,
which scripture says he would accomplish. It says that he would save his
people from their sins. And it was complete right then
when he says, it is finished. Him then going to the heavenlies,
being seated at the right hand of God, saving us, that is his
people to the uttermost. Us being seated at God's right
hand with him. There is no choice to make. If
the choice by God was not made for you from before the foundation
of the world, then Christ Jesus did not come into the world for
you. But if God, having chosen you
in his Son from before the foundation of the world, then sending his
Son into the world to be made sin for you, and now sitting
in the heavenlies making intercession for you, then salvation is yours. He will in time give you life,
letting you know this. Are you a sinner? If you know
yourself to be a sinner, scripture tells us by a faithful saying,
a saying that is full of believing and worthy of all acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world
to save sinners. Are you a sinner? On WVACW at 12 noon, you will
hear one of our Sunday morning messages broadcast. If you can't
see that, if you can join us here at Sovereign Grace Chapel,
we are in Beaver, West Virginia, just a little past Little Beaver
State Park. Turn on Country Club Drive and
then on Annabelle Lane. Listen in or join us and hear
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified proclaimed.