HONORING GOD’s INVESTMENT-II—1Timothy 1:12-17
Paul reminded Timothy of the significance/gravity/weight behind God’s investment in us.
We must recognize the significance/gravity/weight of God’s investment.
When do we honor the gravity of God’s investment?
We honor the gravity of God’s investment when we are Thankful.
Previously we found that We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
1. His FAITH In ME/Us(:12)
2. His MERCY(:13)
3. His EXCESS(:14)
4—We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
His SIMPLICITY(:15)
Explanation: (:15)
:15—“This is a faithful saying & worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
Concerning his previous statements regarding God’s mercy, grace, faith & love, Paul then explains simply that there is a “faithful saying” which sums it all up. This statement is “worthy of” “acceptance”—by “all” of faith.
Its truth is summed up in the fact that Christ Jesus(anointed Messiah of YaHWeH’s salvation) actually entered “the world,” i.e, the world of mankind—the one in which we live—with the express purpose of “saving sinners.” And Paul recognizes himself as the “chief” of sinners.
When a person sees himself/herself as ‘the chief of sinners,’ such a person is able to receive, as did Paul, the gracious mercies of God by the faith & love had in Christ. They are able to live by God’s power rather than by the calling of their own flesh.
“Faithful/Trustworthy”[See :15]—pistov—Trusty, faithful; Easily persuaded
“Saying/Statement”—logov—Of speech....A word, What someone has said, Discourse, Doctrine, teaching, Anything reported in speech such as A narration, narrative, Matter under discussion, thing spoken of, affair, a matter in dispute, case, suit at law, The thing spoken of or talked about; event, deed.; Its use as respect to the MIND alone....Reason, the mental faculty of thinking, meditating, reasoning, calculating, Account, i.e. regard, consideration, Account, i.e. reckoning, score, Account, i.e. answer or explanation in reference to judgment, Relation, i.e. with whom as judge we stand in relation, Reason would, Reason, cause, ground; In John, denotes the essential Word of God, Jesus Christ, the personal wisdom & power in union with God, his minister in creation & government of the universe, the cause of all the world's life both physical & ethical, which for the procurement of man's salvation put on human nature in the person of Jesus the Messiah, the second person in the Godhead, & shone forth conspicuously from His words & deeds. Strong—Something said (including the thought); by implication, A topic (subject of discourse), also reasoning (the mental faculty) or motive; by extension, A computation; specifically (with the article in John) The Divine Expression (i.e. Christ).
“Worthy”—axiov—weighing, having weight, having the weight of another thing of like value, worth as much; Befitting, congruous, corresponding to a thing; Of one who has merited anything worthy.
“Acceptance/Acceptation”—apodoch—Reception, admission, acceptance, approbation. Used 2X.
“Save”—swzw—To save, keep safe & sound, to rescue from danger or destruction
“Sinners”—amartwlov—Adj.—Devoted to sin, a sinner—Not free from sin, Pre-eminently sinful, especially wicked.
“Chief/Foremost”—prwtov—First in time or place; First in rank; First, at the first. Strong—contracted superlative of pro; Foremost (in time, place, order or importance)
pro—a primary preposition; "fore", i.e. in front of, prior (figuratively, superior) to.
Argumentation:
CHRIST SAVES SINNERS:
1Cor. 15:1-4—“Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received & in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, & that He was buried, & that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures,”
Col. 1:27-28—“To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man & teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.”
*1Pet. 3:18—“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”
*Rom. 5:6-11—“For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
*Col. 2:13-15—“And you, being dead in your trespasses & the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. Having disarmed principalities & powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
*Rom. 4:24-5:2—“.....It[Righteousness] shall be imputed to us who believe in Him who raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up because of our offenses, & was raised because of our justification. Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, & rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
CHIEF Of SINNERS:
We must admit that we are sinners...even the “chief” of these!
*Eccl. 7:19 -20—“Wisdom strengthens the wise More than ten rulers of the city. For there is not a just man on earth who does good And does not sin.”
*1Jn. 1:5-10—“This is the message which we have heard from Him & declare to you, that God is light & in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, & walk in darkness, we lie & do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, & the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, & the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful & just to forgive us our sins & to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, & His word is not in us.”
*Isa. 64:6—“But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away.”
*Rom. 7:18-25—“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, & bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.”
*Titus 3:3-7—“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts & pleasures, living in malice & envy, hateful & hating one another. But when the kindness & the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Rev. 3:17-19—[to Laodicea]““Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, & have need of nothing’--& do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, & naked-- “I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; & white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; & anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. “As many as I love, I rebuke & chasten. Therefore be zealous & repent.”
Jn. 3:3, 5-7—“Jesus answered & said to him[Nicodemus], “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”.....“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water & the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, & that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
Everyone must undergo 2 births or there is no place in heaven for you!
I am a very different person now—particularly inside— than I was before Christ!
SIMPLICITY:
*Rom. 4:3-5—“For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,”
*Eph. 2:4-10—“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
*Rom. 6:23—“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Illustration:
My old Toro Leaf Blower/On the rear of it, there was a substantial plastic hook that was part of the body of the blower/Very simple & perfectly practical!/They have since done away with the hook & its a pain to keep the cord attached—have to feed the cord between the funnel attachment & the blower body...need three hands!/God’s SIMPLICITY
End of all diets—Eat less; Eat Healthy; Exercise more!/God’s SIMPLICITY
Indebtedness complicates your life/It adds undue concerns & worry/It stifles your ability to love properly/God’s SIMPLICITY
Multiple jobs complicate your life/Time cannot be used properly but is instead sucked up by other things/God’s SIMPLICITY
Gift giving/Money is the best!/The recipient can spend it anyway they desire!/God’s SIMPLICITY
The ultimate simplicity in the most important matter, is that we are saved by grace thru faith!
Application:
?You Thankful for God’s SIMPLICITY for you?
?You Thankful for God’s Investment?
5—We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
His BURDEN(:16)
Explanation: (:16)
:16—“However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.”
There was a particular “reason” for God’s offer of “mercy” to Paul. It was so “Jesus Christ” Himself would be able to demonstrate God’s mercy thru His “longsuffering”—in dealing with such sinners as exemplified in Paul.
This “longsuffering” of Christ that was demonstrated in Paul, stands as the “pattern” by which others “who are going to believe” “on” Jesus, will do so that they may partake of eternal life, as is Paul.
“Reason/Cause”—dia touto— ‘Through this.’
“Obtained mercy/Found mercy[See :13]—eleew—To have mercy on; To help one afflicted or seeking aid; To help the afflicted, to being help to the wretched; To experience mercy.
“Show/Demonstrate”—endeiknumi—To point out; To manifest, display, put forth. Strong—To indicate (by word or act).
“Longsuffering/Patience”—makroyumia—Patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance; Patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs. The self restraint which does not hastily retaliate a wrong. Strong—Longanimity, i.e. (objectively) Forbearance or (subjectively) Fortitude. Used 14X.
“Pattern/Example”—upotupwsiv—An outline, sketch, brief & summary exposition; An example, pattern. Strong—typification under (after), i.e. (concretely) a sketch (figuratively) for imitation. Used 2X.
From—upo—by, under—&—tupov—a die (as struck), i.e. (by implication) a stamp or scar; by analogy, a shape, i.e. a statue, (figuratively) style or resemblance; specifically, a sampler ("type"), i.e. a model (for imitation) or instance (for warning).
“Believe”—pisteuw—To think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in; To entrust a thing to one, i.e. his fidelity. “Everlasting/Eternal”—aiwniov—Without beginning & end, that which always has been & always will be; Without beginning; Without end, never to cease, everlasting. Gives prominence to the immeasurableness of eternity. Strong—Perpetual (also used of past time, or past & future as well).
Argumentation:
I2Tim. 4:16-17—“At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. But the Lord stood with me & strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, & that all the Gentiles might hear. And I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.”
Rom. 9:15-18—“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, & I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, & that My name may be declared in all the earth.”[Ex. 9:16] Therefore He has mercy on whom He wills, & whom He wills He hardens.”
Rom. 9:22-24—“What if God, wanting to show His wrath & to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, & that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory, even us whom He called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?”
IEph 2:10—“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
*2Pet. 3:9-11; 14-15—“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, & the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth & the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct & godliness,”.....“Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot & blameless; & consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation--as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you,”
Rev. 6:9-11—“When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God & for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy & true, until You judge & avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; & it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants & their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”
Illustration:
Husband & wife share a BURDEN to lovingly support their spouse/That’s why they marry/They cannot conceive of being without them/ They will commit to one another with the solemn vows—‘In sickness & in health, For richer or poorer, Till death do us part...”—Their chosen mutual BURDEN/God’s BURDEN
Parents have a Burden to support their children/They are concerned with every decision their kids make/They are concerned by their life’s choices....Spouse they will choose...School they attend.... Their job commitments...Concern for others, their families/These decisions either break the heart or thrill the soul of the parent/God’s BURDEN
Application:
?You Thankful for God’s BURDEN for you?
?You Thankful for God’s Investment?
6—We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
His WORTHINESS(:17)
Explanation: (:17)
:17—“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor & glory forever & ever. Amen.”
The above truths are so precious to paul that he enters into a statement/prayer of praise for the mercy he has received.
He directs his praises “to the King” of glory. This King is Himself, “eternal” or ageless & lest we miss the significance of that, He is also “immortal” or incapable of corruption. Unimaginably, this King is also “invisible” or incapable of being perceived in His pure form, with the eyes of man.
Thereby this King is none other than the “God” of Scripture. He is the King of all kings().
This God is “alone” “wise.” There is absolutely none other who is wise(even among so-called gods) that is comparable to Him. His wisdom is thereby unapproachable from any source or angle. He is “alone” in such
Thus to this God, both “glory” & “honor” are His & they are His for all eternity.
Paul ends this with an affirmation(“Amen”) of these truths. Such an affirmation is intended to be confirmed in & by the Church at large.
“King”—basileuv—Leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king.
“Eternal”[See “Forever, Ever” below]—aiwn—1)For ever, an unbroken age, perpetuity of time, eternity; 2)The worlds, universe; 3)Period of time, age. Strong—properly, An age; by extension, Perpetuity (also past); by implication, The world; specially (Jewish) a Messianic period (present or future).
“Immortal”—afyartov—Uncorrupted, not liable to corruption or decay, imperishable—Of things; Immortal. Properly Incorruptible, unaffected by corruption & decay. It is applied to God, & to that which is connected with Him. Used 7X.
From the negation of —fyeirw—Strong—properly, To shrivel or wither, i.e. To spoil (by any process) or (generally) To ruin (especially figuratively, by moral influences, To deprave).
“Invisible”—aoratov—Unseen, or that which cannot be seen e.g. Invisible. Used 5X.
From the negation of—oratov—Strong—Visible, open to view.
“Alone”—monov—Adj.—Alone, forsaken, destitute of help, alone, only, merely. Strong—Remaining, i.e. Sole or single; by implication, Mere.
“Wise”—sofov—1)Wise—1a)Skilled, expert, 1b) Wise, skilled in letters, cultivated, learned—1b1) Of the Greek philosophers & orators, 1b2) Of Jewish theologians, 1b3) Of Christian teachers, 1c)Forming the best plans & using the best means for their execution. Denotes wise, skilled, an expert. Strong—Wise (in a most general application).
“Honor”—timh—1)A valuing by which the price is fixed—1a)Of the price itself, 1b)Of the price paid or received for a person or thing bought or sold; 2)Honor which belongs or is shown to one—2a)Of the honor which one has by reason of rank & state of office which he holds, 2b)Deference, reverence. Strong—A value, i.e. Money paid, or (concretely & collectively) Valuables; by analogy, Esteem (especially of the highest degree), or The dignity itself.
“Glory”—doxa—1)Opinion, judgment, view; 2)Opinion, estimate, whether good or bad concerning someone; 3)Splendor, brightness; 4)A most glorious condition, most exalted state. Strong—Glory (as very apparent), in a wide application (literal or figurative, objective or subjective).
“Forever & ever”—eiv touv aiwnav twn aiwnwn ‘into/unto the ages of the ages.’—“Eternal”[See “Eternal” above].
Argumentation:
KING of kings:
1Tim. 6:13-16—“I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.”
ETERNAL:
Ex. 3:13-15—“Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’”
“I AM” means He always is.
Rev. 4:8-11—“The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.””
INCORRUPTIBLE(“Immortal”):
1Cor. 15:51-57—“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed-- in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
INVISIBLE:
Jn. 1:18—“No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
See also 1Tim. 6:16(above)
The infinite, invisible God manifests Himself to us in ways that can be reconciled in a finite manner.
WORTHINESS:
Rev. 5:8-14—“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures & the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, & golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe & tongue & people & nation, And have made us kings & priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth.” Then I looked, & I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, & the elders; & the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, & thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power & riches & wisdom, And strength & honor & glory & blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven & on the earth & under the earth & such as are in the sea, & all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing & honor & glory & power Be to Him who sits on the throne, And to the Lamb, forever & ever!” Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down & worshiped Him who lives forever & ever.”
Rev. 7:9-12—“After these things I looked, & behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, & tongues, standing before the throne & before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, & crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, & to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne & the elders & the four living creatures, & fell on their faces before the throne & worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing & glory & wisdom, Thanksgiving & honor & power & might, Be to our God forever & ever. Amen.””
1Tim. 3:16—“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.”
Col. 1:24-27—“I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
Illustration:
Choosing a family Doctor—He or she must have...Practical medical knowledge—Respected by patients & colleagues— A caring heart—A good bedside manner’/God’s WORTHINESS
Recognizing someone who has anticipated & accomplished help for others/God’s WORTHINESS
Best quality/Diamonds/Gradations by Weight, Clarity, Color, & Cut/The most expensive are rare, large & flawless/In 1987, a red diamond sold at auction for almost a million dollars per carat/(5 carats=1g.)/God’s WORTHINESS
Application:
?You Thankful for God’s WORTHINESS toward you?
?You Thankful for God’s Investment?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
We honor God’s investment thru Thankfulness for...
4. His SIMPLICITY(:15)
5. His BURDEN(:16)
6. His WISDOM/Kingship(:17)
1. His FAITH In ME(:12)
2. His MERCY(:13)
3. His EXCESS(:14)
Presented 01/15/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
