Four Faithful Sayings

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus coming to save sinners?

The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, as stated in 1 Timothy 1:15. According to 1 Timothy 1:15, it is declared that 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.' This statement is foundational to the Gospel and emphasizes that Jesus came for the purpose of redemption. He came not just to teach moral lessons, but specifically to deliver sinners from their sins. His mission was to identify with humanity, take on the sins of His people, and ultimately offer Himself as a sacrifice. The significance of this statement cannot be overstated; it lays the groundwork for understanding salvation and the grace extended to all who believe, including those who consider themselves the chief of sinners.

Q: Why is perseverance important for Christians?

Perseverance in faith is vital for Christians as it reflects their commitment to Christ and results in eternal life. Perseverance, or continuing in faith, serves as evidence of genuine belief and trust in Christ. The declaration in 2 Timothy 2:11 states, 'If we be dead with Him, we shall also live with Him.' This promise implies that enduring faith leads to eternal life with Christ. Furthermore, the assurance that Christ remains faithful even when our faith falters is foundational in understanding perseverance. It not only strengthens believers in their walk with Christ but also shows that true faith is sustained by the Holy Spirit, leading to spiritual growth and fruitfulness in good works.

Q: How do we know the doctrine of salvation is true?

The doctrine of salvation is anchored in Scripture, particularly in faithful sayings found in the epistles. The truth of the doctrine of salvation is affirmed through the faithful sayings found in Scripture, particularly those expressed by the Apostle Paul in his letters. In 1 Timothy 1:15, Paul emphasizes the certainty of Christ coming to save sinners, asserting that it is a trustworthy statement. Additionally, these sayings highlight the character of God and His promises – that He will save those who believe, transforming them into new creations. The consistency of Scripture in affirming these doctrines provides a firm foundation for faith, assuring believers of their salvation based on God's unchanging nature and His immense grace.

Q: What is the significance of good works in the Christian life?

Good works are the evidence of a genuine faith and a result of salvation, as indicated in Titus 3:8. Good works hold significant importance in the life of a believer, serving as the fruit that results from true faith. As stated in Titus 3:8, believers are encouraged to 'be careful to maintain good works.' This does not imply that works contribute to salvation but rather that they are a natural outflow of a transformed heart. In the Christian doctrine of sovereignty and grace, good works reflect the believer's faith in action, embodying the very essence of being Christ's disciples. These works are essential not only for personal growth and testimony but also for glorifying God and fulfilling His commands.

If this message I have preached
to you today is a blessing and you want to hear it again, you
may write to the address given to you at the close of the message
and we'll send you a copy on a cassette tape. Now you ask
for this message, this is the title of the message, Four Faithful
Sayings. In the epistles written by the
Apostle Paul, he uses this term at least four times. Four times
he says this, this is a fateful saying. He says that about four
times in the books of Timothy and the book of Titus. In other
words, this is what he's saying. This is a fateful saying. This
is what he's saying. What I'm about to write to you
and what I'm going to say to you is faithful, it's certain,
it's sure, it's a faithful saying, it's trustworthy, it's dependable,
it's from God, and it can be perfectly relied upon. Now, see
how important it is? The Apostle Paul, as far as I
know, no other writer in Holy Scriptures uses this phrase over
and over again like Paul. But he four times uses this phrase. This is a faithful saying. This
is certain. This is sure. You need to sit
up and take notice because this is from God. And you can trust
it. You can depend upon it. You can
be sure that it's true. Now, you who believe the gospel
and love the gospel of Christ, I believe if you listen carefully
to this message, God will give you a deeper understanding of
the foundation of salvation, the very root and foundation
of redemption. And He'll give you a better understanding
of what the essence of salvation really is, the very substance
of it, the heart of it. And I believe He'll give you
some understanding of what we call perseverance or continuing
in the faith. What is this perseverance or
continuing in the faith? And then I believe also that
in this message that you'll be given some understanding of the
fruit of salvation, the results of salvation, what follows the
redemption of the soul. Now, let's look at these four
faithful sayings. Will you look at them with me? And like Paul said, this is certain. This is trustworthy. This is
from God. This is dependable. You can count
on this. What I'm about to tell you, he said. is mighty important. It's worthy of acceptation by
all. It's so important. Now, here
they are. Here's the four faithful sayings. There are four of them.
If you want to, take down, take some notes, write these things
down, and look up the Scriptures later. Over in 1 Timothy 1, verse
15, Paul says this, and this is the first time he uses this
phrase, 1 Timothy 1, 15. He says, this is a faithful saying. And this is worthy of all acceptation. It's worthy of the acceptation
of all men. That Jesus Christ came into this
world to save sinners of whom I'm the chief. Now that's the
very foundation and root of salvation. This is the foundation. This
is where you start. This is a true saying. This is
trustworthy and dependable. You can bank on it. You can count
on it. That Jesus Christ came into this world. He came into
this world. He who inhabited heaven came
to this earth. He who reigns and sits on a throne
in glory came to this earth. He visited this earth for the
purpose of saving sinners, of whom I'm the chief. Now, who
came? Christ Jesus. Christ, the God-man. Christ Jesus. He's the Christ.
He's the Messiah. He's the son of David. He's that
prophet, priest, and king. He's that prophet of whom Moses
wrote. He's that priest of which Melchizedek
was a type. He's that king of which David
is a type. He's that prophet, priest, and
king. He's the Lord of glory. He is the Christ, the Messiah,
and he's Jesus. The angel appeared to Joseph
and said to him, Joseph, don't be afraid to take Mary to be
your wife. because that holy thing which is conceived in her
is the Son of God. And she'll bring forth a son,
and you call his name Jesus. Call him Jesus. That'll be his
name, Jesus of Nazareth. And he'll save his people from
their sins. Now, this is a fulfillment, the
angel said, of what Isaiah the prophet said when he wrote, Behold,
a virgin shall be with child. and bring forth a son. And his
name will be Emmanuel, God with us, God with us, God in human
flesh. And as I said, he who inhabits
the heavens now walks the earth. He who sits on a throne in glory
now inhabits human flesh. Who came? Christ, God, the Messiah,
the Redeemer, Christ Jesus, Son of Mary, the carpenter in the
flesh, bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh. A child is born,
a son is given. The name of that son is Wonderful
Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace. But His name is Jesus, Christ
Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who He is. Now what did
He do? He came into this world. He actually
He was in this world, and the world was made by Him, and the
world knew Him not. The Scripture says in John, In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the
Word was God. And all things were made by Him,
without Him was not anything made. But that Word was made
flesh, and literally actually dwelt among us for thirty-three
and a half years. God walked this earth in a body. Almighty God, who made the world,
walked in the world. Almighty God, who created all
things, lived among men. He came into this world. In the
fullness of time, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman. He
who made woman was made of a woman. Made under the law, under His
law, in subjection to His own law. The law was born of Him. made of him, and now he's under
it, in subjection to it, sent down here in the flesh to honor
it, to obey it, that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him. He came into this world. Now, you didn't come into
this world. He's the only one who ever descended. He who ascended is the one who
descended. He's the only one who ever descended
into this world. The rest of us are products of
this earth. We're born of the flesh. But
he came from heaven and inhabited a body. He said, A body thou
hast prepared me. I was before the body. And I
came and inhabited this body. You were made simultaneously
with a body. When the seed was fertilized
in your mother's womb, that's when you started. You, your life,
and your body. But Jesus Christ is from everlasting
to everlasting. And he came into this world,
you see. Who came? Christ Jesus. Where did He come? Into this world. Well, why did
He come? He came to save, to save. What does the word save
mean? Do you know what it means, save?
People say, I've been saved. Are you saved? Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ and I shall be saved. What does it mean to
be saved? What's that word mean? It means
to deliver, to deliver. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when He
came down to Nazareth, and spoke to those people in his own hometown,
the Messiah, the Christ, the one who came to save. He told
why he came. He gave a summary of his mission. He read from Isaiah 61. He said,
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He hath anointed me. He hath sent me into the world
to preach good news, good news to the poor, to those in poverty,
not just poverty of body and flesh and materialism, but spirit. He sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. He sent me to set the captive
free. He sent me to open prison to
deliver them that are bound, to deliver them, to free them,
to set them free, the blind to set them free from darkness,
those in prison to set them free. How are we in prison? How are
we bound? Well, I'll tell you, we're bound
by the law. We've broken God's law. We're
in prison. It's just like these men who
killed this man recently. Now, they're in jail without
bond. They're in prison. The law has them. The law's captured
them, and the law'll hold them, and the law'll keep them until
justice executes them. You see that? They're prisoners. They're captives. And the only
way for them to be delivered is to be found not guilty. That's
the only way for the captive to be set free from a just law,
from an honorable law, from true justice, is for him to be declared
not guilty, justified. But now we're held captive by
God's law. We're guilty. We're held captive
until justice will say unto us, cast him into hell, where there's
weeping and gnashing of teeth. But Christ came into this world
in the flesh as a man to deliver us, to set the prisoner free,
to set the captive free, himself to go into the jail and into
the prison and under the curse of the law and under the bondage
of the law, take our place and obey that law and allow justice
to kill him. If you have murdered someone
and they're going to put you in the electric chair, if someone
will come and sit in that chair for you, but you say it's impossible
because I'm the guilty one, the law has to kill me. That's right.
But Christ became guilty. He took our sins. It was such
that He as God could literally, as our representative, be numbered
with the transgressors and take our guilt as if it were His.
He who knew no sin was made sin for us that we might be made
the righteousness of God in Him. And He came and went to jail
and set me free. He came under the captivity of
the law and set me free. He came under the bondage of
the curse and the bondage of justice and judgment and set
us free. He came to save. And that's what
save means, to deliver, to deliver, to set the captive free. Now,
what kind of sinners did He come to save? Who came? This is, this is, this is certain. This is sure. This, you can depend
on this. This is trustworthy. This is
God's Word. That Christ Jesus came into this
world to save. What kind of sinners? Paul said,
of which I'm the chief. He came to save the chief of
sinners, the greatest of sinners, the blackest of sinners, the
worst of sinners. Somebody said, no halfway sinner
needs to apply for God's mercy because God's mercy is for the
chief of sinners. This tribe of believers is the
only tribe where everybody's a chief, the chief of sinners.
One time our Lord was eating with some publicans and sinners,
some notorious people, some well-known sinners. And the religious fellows
got real upset because they didn't think they were sinners. They
didn't feel their guilt and their sins, and they felt like they
were holy and righteous. And they saw the Lord eating
with these sinners, and they said to the disciples, Why does
your master eat with people like that? Why does he associate with
people like that? Why does your master have anything
to do with These kind of people, these sinners. And our Lord knew
their thoughts. And He looked at them and He
said, The well do not need a doctor. People who need a doctor are
sick people. Now you go learn what that means. I am come. Jesus Christ came into this world. I am come. Not to call the righteous,
but sinners to repentance. That's why I'm come. to call
sinners. Are you a sinner? I'm a sinner,
a genuine sinner. A sinner is one who has transgressed
God's law. To offend in one part is to be
guilty of the whole law. Somebody says, well, I'm not
a bad sinner. There's no other kind. Well, you know, there's
some things I haven't done. No, there isn't. To offend in
one part of the law is to be guilty of the whole law. A sinner
is a sinner is a sinner. And He came to save sinners of
whom I'm the chief. Oh, that you and I might be enabled
of the Spirit of God to see ourselves as God sees us, see our sins
as God sees our sins. God despises sin. God must punish
sin. God will not clear the guilty.
Now, this is a faithful saint. Do you see how important that
is, that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners, deliver
them, set them free? of whom I'm the chief. Oh, William
Jay came to visit John Newton one time, and he said, Mr. Newton, have you heard the news?
And Newton said, what news is that? Newton's the one who wrote
Amazing Grace, great preacher. William Jay was a great preacher,
too. Have you heard the news? Mr. Newton said, no, what is
the news? He said, the Lord has saved Mr. So-and-so, that notorious
sinner. down in Bath County. And Mr. Newton says, I'm so glad. I rejoice. I'm grateful to God for saving
him. And Mr. J said, well, I'll tell
you this. He said, since the Lord saved
that man, I'll never despair of anybody else. And John Newton
looked at William J and he said, my brother, since the Lord saved
me, I've never despaired of anyone else. I'm the chief of sinners.
Are you? He came to save sinners, of whom
I'm the chief. All right, now look at the second
fateful saying in I Timothy 4, verse 8 and 9. Listen to this.
For bodily exercise profiteth little, or for a little time.
Godliness is profitable unto all things, having the promise
of life now and life to come. This is a fateful saying. This
is a faithful saint and worthy of all acceptation. He says it
again with the same emphasis that he placed upon that other
faithful saint. This is a faithful saint. This
is trustworthy. This is true. This is dependable.
Rest on it. Listen to it. And it's worthy
of all acceptation that bodily exercise profiteth little. But
godliness is profitable in all things. Life now and life to
come. What's he talking about? Well,
you have to read the preceding verses. And you'll find that
Paul is speaking of the exercises and functions of the body in
religious exercises and in forms of worship. He's talking about
things such as fasting. He's talking about things such
as kneeling. He's talking about things such
as abstaining from certain foods. He's talking about things such
as kneeling, keeping of days, whatever men and women do in
bodily functions and exercises for the sake of religious acceptance
or gain or duty. Now, some of these bodily exercises
are good. Kneeling, lying prostrate before
God, bowing our heads, bowing our hearts in commitment and
consecration, before God, but here's what he's saying. Anything
having to do with bodily exercise, such as fasting or kneeling or
bowing or lying prostrate before God or doing without something
or keeping a certain day, these things profit little. But here's
what's profitable, a true, sincere heart of faith and godliness
before the Lord. Now, let me show you an example.
Two men went to the temple to pray. Our Lord Jesus gave this
illustration. Two men went to the temple to
pray. One was a very religious man. He was a Pharisee, so he
was dressed a certain way. He had a certain garb on that
designated him as a religious man. His phylacteries were broad. He had the robes of religion.
He had all the things to indicate and designate him as a religious
man, outward form, bodily exercise. He probably had a scroll because
they liked to stand on the street corner and read the scriptures
and pray to be seen of men. And he went into the temple to
pray, to exercise religion. He went into the temple. He went
all the way down to the altar and he stood at the altar And
he lifted his eyes and his hands to heaven, lifting holy hands.
And he said, I fast, I tithe, I give alms. All of this is bodily
exercise. All of it is an outward show
to impress somebody, man, God, himself, or somebody. And our
Lord said it counted for nothing, nothing, nothing. Another man
was praying at the same time. He didn't stand down to the front.
He didn't lift his hands. He didn't even lift his eyes
to heaven. He smote on his breast. He didn't talk about tithing
or fasting or giving alms or any of these things. Fasting's
good in its place. Giving alms is great in its place. These things this man said he
didn't do shouldn't be done. But this publican didn't mention
any of those things. He smote on his breast and he
cried, oh God, oh God. He smote upon his breast. Where
his trouble was, was where he was striking his heart. And that's
where his consecration was, and that's where his prayer was,
and that's where his plea came from. Be merciful to me, a sinner. And our Lord said, he went home
justified. Bodily exercise. whatever it
may be. Now, the apostle's not discounting. You listen to me now. Nor am
I. We're not discounting fasting.
We're not discounting kneeling. We're not discounting bowing
or falling prostrate before God Almighty on your face and crying
to God. But my friend, godliness is a
state of the heart, a condition of the heart. Godliness is not
in outward form. And godliness is profitable for
life now and life to come. That's where God looks, not on
the outward countenance. You know, I wrote this down.
Don't put on a show for God. He looks on the heart. And don't
put on a show for men and expect God to accept it. Because He
knows us and our every thought. And he knows it's phony, phony,
phony. You know, I heard a story one
time about a martyr back in, a long time ago, back, I believe,
when Bloody Mary was Queen of England. But there was a man
about to be killed for his faith. They were going to cut his head
off. And the man who was in charge of the execution put his head
down, and he felt sorry for this man. And he kind of reached down
to comfort him a little bit. And he patted him on the head
before they were going to chop his head off. And he said, Sir,
he said, Is your head comfortable? And the man looked up at him,
the believer, and said, The comfort of the head amounts to nothing. It's the condition of the heart.
And let me tell you something. That's what I'm trying to say.
Bodily exercise, form, ceremony, all these things men do. Don't
profit much, but godliness, that's where it is. All right, here's
the third one. II Timothy 2, verse 11. This is a faithful saying. This
is sure, certain, trustworthy, and dependable. It's from God.
If we be dead with Him, we'll live with Him. If we suffer with
Him, who's Him? Christ. We'll reign with Him. If we deny Him, He'll deny us. If we believe not, He about is
faithful. He won't deny Himself. What's
that talking about? Well, this is the truth. This
is the faithful saying. If we be dead with Christ, we
live with Christ. You know, in the natural realm,
death means the end. In the spiritual life, death
means the beginning. When Christ came down here to
the earth and died on that cross, we died in Him, and we were buried
in Him. and we arose in Him and we ascended
and we're seated on the right hand of God in Him. And if we
died with Him on that cross, if He's our Lord and Redeemer
and we died with Him, then we live. He said, because I live,
you live. We live before God. And then
He said, if we suffer with Him, we reign with Him. What does
it mean to suffer with Christ? Well, it's identification. When
a believer, when he comes to know the gospel and to really
believe the gospel, he confesses that gospel. He confesses Christ. He says, I believe Jesus Christ,
the Son of God. And then he takes his place with
Christ. He's willing to bear the reproach,
and he's willing to take the yoke of Christ. He's willing
to be counted. He's willing to be identified.
He's willing to suffer whatever harassment or persecution comes
or whatever reproach comes because of that gospel. Christ said,
marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you. They hated me
before they hated you. And that's identification. And
that's suffering with Christ. And if we be dead with Him, we
live. If we suffer with Him, we'll
reign. If we deny Him, He'll deny us. But if we believe not,
what does that mean, if we believe not, yet He abides faithful? That means just this, no one
has perfect faith. You don't, I don't, no one else.
Our faith Gets mighty low sometimes. Gets mighty frail sometimes.
Lapses. Sometimes we have to say, do
I believe at all? You know that centurion said,
Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief. Well, I'll tell you, when our
faith gets at the lowest point, weakest point, right down to
the doubting point, and faith fails, and we have to say, I
don't know whether I believe or not. He still remains faithful. He still loves us, redeems us,
keeps us. He'll never deny Himself. And
we're one with Him. You see that? This is a sure
sign. Trustworthy. If you be dead with
Christ, you live. If you suffer with Christ, you
reign with Him. You deny Him, He'll deny you.
But if you fail and don't believe and have these low points of
faith, He still remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself, and we're
in Him. All right, here's the last one,
Titus 3, verse 8. This is a faithful saying, too.
And these things I will that you constantly affirm, that they
which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. That's that results of faith.
That's that fruit of faith. I'm going to talk about that
next week, the fruit of faith. The root of faith is believing
on Christ. The fruit of faith is walking
in His footsteps. Here's what the poet said, Lord,
speak to me that I may speak. As thou hast sought me, let me
seek. Lead me, Lord, that I may lead. Feed me, Lord, that I may
feed. Strengthen me, Lord, that I may
stand and stretch out a loving hand. Teach me, Lord, that I
may teach. Reach me, Lord, that I may reach.
Fill my heart to overflow. thy love to tell, thy praise
to show. Oh, use me, thy praise join,
glory to share, just as you will, when and where." Four faithful
sayings. Write for it. We'll send it to
you. Here's the address. God bless you, everyone.

Four Faithful Sayings

What does the Bible say about Jesus coming to save sinners?

Why is perseverance important for Christians?

How do we know the doctrine of salvation is true?

What is the significance of good works in the Christian life?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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Four Faithful Sayings

What does the Bible say about Jesus coming to save sinners?

Why is perseverance important for Christians?

How do we know the doctrine of salvation is true?

What is the significance of good works in the Christian life?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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