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“...BECAUSE…”
Scripture Reference: First Timothy 1:12-17
Preached at Mount Zion Baptist Church on May 5, 2019
Delivered by Rev. John Daniel Johnson
Opening:
This morning I have a confession to make. I want to tell everyone that I love my wife and children. I love my church. I love the people who attend here. I love my friends and I love my neighbors, but the confession I want to make to you this morning is that I love Jesus more. Jesus is the only man it is okay for another man to love more than anything.
I love knowing that my God, my Savior, my Jesus Christ left the throne room of Heaven, and chose to live in this life with us. The Bible tell us…
“For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin."
—Hebrews 4:15
I love knowing that when I believed and trusted on the LORD Jesus, that He took my sin and removed it from me. He took this old creature, with all my wrong-doings and sins, hung them on the cross of Calvary. He took my sin and shame and made me a new creation. My old self is gone. My old ways are dead. I’m a new creation in Jesus.
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.”
—2 Corinthians 5:17
My brothers and sisters, if you are a child of God, if you have believed on Jesus for the remission of sins, if you have made the LORD Jesus the Savior of your life, your old life before salvation is gone. Will we occasionally still sin? Yes, but the Holy Spirit convicts us of where we fall short of the glory of God. However, we no longer desire to sin because we have been born again. We were all born into this earth of fleshly parents. By that mere fact, we inherited the sinful nature of mankind. However, once we believed on Jesus, we are born again. Not of flesh, but of the water and the Spirit. We are a new creation. We all have a testimony to tell. We all have a relevant encounter with Jesus to tell others.
This morning we are going to look into God’s Word at the testimony of Paul. The Apostle Paul was so proud of his new life in Jesus he recounted his personal testimony at least 7 times, Acts 9, Acts 22, Acts 26, Galatians 1 & 2, Philippians 3, and in 1 Timothy 1. Today we’re going to look at that last Scripture.
Transitional Sentence:
We once were lost in sin, but in Christ we have been made anew. We are going to examine the traits that have changed in the life of a believer all because of Jesus.
Read Text:
“And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 16However, 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. 17Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
—First Timothy 1:12-17
I. Because I Have Been Forgiven, I Can Forgive
“Stop being bitter and angry and mad at others. Don’t yell at one another or curse each other or ever be rude. 32Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave
you because of Christ.”
—Ephesians 4:31-32
II. Because I have Been Hated, I Can Love
"For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit."
—Titus 3:3-5
III. Because I Have Been Offended, I Can Defend
"And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."
—Ephesians 5:11
"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
—Romans 1:16
"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear."
—1 Peter 3:15
IV. Because I Have Been Rejected, I Know Acceptance
“And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, 22yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach.”
—Colossians 1:21-22
Illustration—
I transferred schools in the middle of High School. If being a teenager weren’t awkward enough, I had to move nearly an hour away from my friends and was forced to make completely new ones. I wasn’t the coolest kid in school, and actually I was a pork chop more than anything else. My worst class was PE (Physical Education). I moved in the middle of basketball season and the only sport we played at PE was basketball in the gym. The coach would line all of us boys up, select two captains, and let them pick who they wanted on their team. Guess who was always picked last? I hated that class, especially when the coach told us that our team would be “skins” and the other team would be “shirts.” Nothing like a little fat boy having to take off his shirt in front of a bunch of girls in the gym. Day after day, I literally feared going to PE. Always picked last. Showing my fat belly with my pale, white skin. Complete embarrassed daily. But God worked. I hit a growth spurt. Now the little fat boy was nearly 6 foot tall and could rebound the ball and shoot three-pointers. The boys began to accept me more. I began to fit in, well, to the guys anyway. To the girls, I was still the dork.
V. Because I Have Been Unfaithful, I Can Be Faithful
“A faithful man will abound with blessings..."
—Proverbs 28:20
VI. Because I Have Been a Sinner, I Know I’m Now Saved
Illustration for Next Point—
When I was the pastor of a church in Georgia, I had one of the greatest revelations of the love of Jesus in my life. A few weeks before, I had been laying on the couch of the house with my feet propped up on the cushions. On that afternoon, Trinity came and sat down beside me. When she got up, she rolled over my left foot causing excruciating pain. The next afternoon, I was again sitting on the couch and this time, my wife sat down beside me. When she got up, she rolled over the same foot and I heard a loud pop. I went to the doctor and had it confirmed that I had multiple breaks in my foot. I was put into a cast and sent back home. I had a job to do. I was a fulltime pastor. I was back to work the next day because I felt obligated. Within a couple of days hobbling around the church office and doing visits, I had overworked my right foot and gout had set in. Then gout set in on my broken foot. I as in so much pain. For two days, I literally crawled around the house on my knees. I would crawl out of my house, onto the golf cart, drive with my heel to the church, crawl into the church, and into my office. I was sitting there in the office on that early Wednesday morning. I couldn’t even think because of the pain. I was preaching 4 different messages a week, and I really was pressed with time trying to prepare a message for that night. I’ll never forget the LORD speaking into my heart and asking me why I was doing all of this. I remember answering out-loud that I was doing the ministry for the people to hear Him. I had to serve the people. I had prove to God that I loved him by my service to Him. That’s when the LORD corrected me quickly with one statement. Into my spirit He spoke, “You obviously don’t know me.” There I sat crying. Crying from the pain. Crying from what was spoken into my heart. And then I fell to my face on the office floor and cried out, “Jesus…Jesus…Jesus.” I couldn’t even speak any other words. The more I kept saying His name, the more I began to feel His presence. His Word began to run through my mind, like “there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” Other passages ran through my mind about the power of Jesus name…others like by His stripes we’re healed. But all I could say for over an hour was just “Jesus.” Then boldness arose in my spirit and I took off the cast. I stood to my feet in pain. I raised my hands to heaven and kept saying His name. I took the first step in pain. Then another. Then another. Then my spirit told me to run into the chapel. If you had have walked into the church that day you would have thought I was crazy, but I took off running into the sanctuary. I fell down at the altar and when I got up, all the pain, all the problems, all the hurt were completely gone.
Here’s the point…
VII. Because I Have Known Jesus, I Can Have Life
“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."
—John 14:6
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”
—Ephesians 3:20
Closing:
These are just a few of the traits that a new creature has BECAUSE of Jesus. Do you have these qualities? If not, you need to seek more of the LORD. This morning I know many of you here today are hurting. You’re in spiritual pain, emotional pain, or even physical pain, but I want you to know that despite the pain, there is Jesus. Because I know His love, His compassion, and His mercy, I know that He will hear us when we call upon Him. When we want to draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. So this morning, I want us to seek the LORD. Let your new life start at this altar this morning. Let’s be revived at the altar this morning. You may not know what to say, but I have the name for you to call on. There is no other name any greater. Just start calling out to Jesus. Just keep saying His name. Keep calling on His power. Keep seeking His face. Seek His love. Seek His guidance. If you seek Him this morning, you will find Him.
www.mountzionfamily.com
