Pardoned And Beyond (September 11, 2022)

PARDONED and BEYOND (September 11, 2022)

Text: 1 Timothy 1:12 -17

1 Timothy 1:12-17 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. (13) Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (14) The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. (15) Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. (16) But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Today is the twenty-first anniversary of the terrorist attack on our nation. Four planes were highjacked. Flight 11 struck the North tower at 8:46am. Flight 175 struck the South tower at 9:03 am. Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 am. The intended target of the hijackers on Flight 93 never reached their target because a group of passengers had banded together and charged the cabin, overcame the hijackers and spoiled their plans. https://timeline.911memorial.org/#Timeline/2/ImageEntry/542/1 All of the hijackers thought they were justified in their violent attacks. But they were wrong!

Paul thought he was on the right path. His path got derailed one night when Jesus confronted him on the road to Damascus while on his way to arrest more prisoners and take them to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2 – 6). Think about what happened here in this moment of Paul’s life.

Paul deals with many of the same things we have all had to deal with before we became a Christian. Everyone has a past, everyone needs a pardon and everyone is called to proclaim the Gospel.

PAST

Who among us can honestly say that they have always chosen the right path?

1) Confession: Think about how Paul was brutally honest about his past as a blasphemous unbeliever who was both ignorant and violent in persecuting and arresting Christians (1Timothy 1:12- 13).

2) Crime: In his book Chuck Colson Speaks, the late Chuck Colson said, “Crime is a mirror of a community’s moral state”. (Chuck Colson. Chuck Colson Speaks. Uhrichsville, Ohio: Promise Press, 2000, p. 12). At this time in his life Saul was a practicing Pharisee who certainly reflected the Pharisaical mindset of his community in arresting Christians.

3) Condemnation: Having letters and the support of the High Priest Paul went to Damascus to arrest men and women and haul them to prison in Jerusalem (Acts 9:2). He was there when they stoned Stephen to death (Acts 7:54 – 60). Paul said that he had voted for many of those that he arrested to be put to death (Acts 26:10). We do not know the total number who were executed because of Saul’s efforts.

Who among us can say that he or she never did any thing that we were not ashamed of?

We might not have done anything that was deadly, but we have all done something that was stupid and sinful. I once knew a family who had a son that got into some legal trouble and his parents had to bail him out. They tapped into their savings account to pay the attorney. Their son learned a lesson that he may day have to practice bailing out one of his children. The most valuable lesson that he learned was that his parents never quit loving him. That is the way God is with us----unconditional love! Jesus went to the cross to shed His blood (Hebrews 9:14) as the sacrificial lamb of God to wash away our sin (John 1:29).

PARDON

Have you ever received mercy when you deserved justice?

1) Mercy: God could have wiped Saul (aka Paul) out as quick as God had opened the ground to swallow Korah--- an Old Testament trouble maker (see Numbers 16:23 – 35). Korah and those who were associated with him went down to the grave, [the pit, sheol, hell] depending on which Bible translation you use. God could have done the same thing to Saul (in Acts 9) whom we now call Paul. But, the Lord Jesus Christ showed Paul great mercy (1 Timothy 1:13).

2) Grace: Paul (formerly know as Saul in his days as a Christian bounty hunter) said with great gratitude that the “grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). Paul went on to exhibit his gratitude for Jesus in the ways that he would “Produce fruit that shows that he had turned away from his sins” (Matthew 3:8 NIrV paraphrased).