1 Timothy 1-12-17- And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am Chief.
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.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
Grace Of Our Lord Was Exceedingly Abundant-Just think of grace as waves coming to the shore line, splashing, one right after another, they seem endless, soon as one is gone, here comes another!
Now those waves may stop, the water may get calm, but, “Thank God!”
I said, “Thank God, His grace never stops!”
It’s a good thing too, because we need His grace daily, hourly!!
Christ Jesus Came Into The World To Save Sinners-This was the purpose of His coming!!
Some would have you to believe, His purpose for coming was to heal you physically (They even got a favorite verse they quote) but that’s not why He came, now He did heal, and He does heal, but that’s not His main purpose!!
He could heal you a thousand times, but guess what? Unless He comes down and gets you, your still going to die!!
Why, because the wages of sin is death!!
And the only cure is someone has to die in your place!!
Jesus did that! I was to die for my sins, but Jesus took my sins, my punishment upon Himself!!
Some would teach the reason Jesus came was to make you rich!
Jesus may or may not pour riches upon you, but that’s not His main purpose!
Guess what, even if He does make you rich, Thieves are liable to steal, family is going to swindle it, your business partner will embezzle it, mice and moths are going devour it, rust is going to corrode it, IRS going to seize it!
If you are rich, your chances of keeping it, is almost slim to none!
I see those crime shows….Money, land, treasures….Spouses kill for it, and children kill for it, so they can inherit it!
Anyway, what we have in store for us, is much better…They use gold as pavement, there is no government housing, there is only mansions on a hilltop!!
In heaven, there is no such thing as cancer, diabeetus, stroke, Alzheimer’s, no blinded eyes, no lame limbs, no more ears that do not hear, or eyes that do not see and death will only be a bad memory!!!
Save Sinners, Of Whom I Am Chief-People don’t want to recognize them self as a sinner!!
They don’t want to identify themselves as a sinner, but that’s what we are!!
But we have gotten so far away from that, so far away from confessing that truth about ourselves.
I remember singing as a kid, that great hymn At The Cross, “Alas, and did my Savior bleed? And did my Sovereign die? Would He devote that sacred head for such a worm as I?”
Then someone got offended by that, and so they changed it to… “for sinners such as I?”
But I guess that wasn’t soft enough, so they changed it to… “for someone such as I?”
But I do want you to think for moment, is there degrees of sins, of sinners, of judgement?
If Paul puts himself at the top of the ladder of having the most sins in his life, if he is referring to the qualifications of what it takes to be ranked as the greatest sinner, then where do we fall into those rankings?
If there is different rankings to sin, there has to be different degrees to punishment!
Is that what Jesus is referring to in Luke 12:47-48- And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
48 But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
Maybe there are degrees of guilt, degrees of sin, and degrees of punishment.
We are all guilty of sin, there is no denying that, but will hell have different degrees of sin and different punishment for the sinner?
Will the flames be hotter for the child molester, than for the liar?
I don’t have answer for that!
All I know is I don’t want to be the chief sinner, I want to be the chief saint!!
Back to the lyrics of that song…At The Cross
Was it for crimes that I have done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!
As A Pattern To Those Who Are Going To Believe On Him-A
Pattern…God took Paul and used him like someone would a piece of evidence in a trial!
Here is “Exhibit A,”
This is what God can do with a vile sinner.
He can take this persecutor and makes an apostle out of him.
He can take this sinner and make a saint out of him.
He can take this vile blasphemer and make a preacher out of him.
He can take this infidel and make a great evangelist out of him.
And if God can do that, then what can he do with your life?
