Introduction:
A. Let me begin with an example of one of those commercials whose message seems too good to be true: “Picture a man…he has a bright smile, healthful glow…he is holding up a pair of gigantic blue jeans.
1. He says, ‘These are the jeans I used to wear before I lost 200 hundred pounds on the Suddenly Slim miracle diet. It’s easy. It worked for me and it can work for you!”
B. “Before and after” advertisements. We’ve all seen them. Right?
1. They peddle everything from diets to hair-growth products.
2. And the testimonies are always the same. “I’ve never been happier”…“My wife says I’m a different person”…“The results are miraculous.”
3. Such product-induced alterations can hardly qualify as miracles.
4. Impressive? Sometimes. Long-term? Rarely.
5. Only the supernatural touch of God can bring truly miraculous changes…and that is the kind that took place in the apostle Paul’s life
C. Paul’s life is the quintessential “before and after” story.
1. Before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus was a meticulous observer of the Law - at least outwardly.
a. He was a Pharisee among Pharisees - he was the cream of the crop.
b. No doubt he saw himself as a paragon of piety and looked down on those who settled for less than perfection.
c. He was a gifted student, he sat under the tutelage of the distinguished teacher Gamaliel (Acts 22:3).
2. Saul’s misguided zeal for the Law led him to hate Christians.
a. He was present at the stoning of Stephen, and then ruthlessly hunted down other followers of Jesus (Acts 7:58-8:3)
b. He tore Christians from their homes, threw them in prison, even approved of their torture and death.
c. All the while, he considered his zealous persecution of Christians as a service to God.
3. Then one day, on his way to Damascus, Saul ran head-on into the blinding grace of God (Acts 9:1-19).
a. In that encounter far more than his name was changed.
b. The Lord Jesus transformed him into a champion of the gospel, and he began to openly condemn the legalistic system he once followed.
c. He preached that Christ alone makes people righteous.
4. The hatred for Jesus and his people that once darkened his heart gave way to unwavering love for both the Savior and His saints.
a. At first his former enemies didn’t trust him, but the transformation was real.
b. Eventually, Paul even gave his life for the movement he had once tried to extinguish.
c. Now that’s a miraculous change.
D. And that, my brothers and sisters is what the good news of the gospel can do in a person’s life.
1. The good news of God is that sinners can be saved and changed through the mercy of God, and Paul is a prime example.
2. My aim today is to help us appreciate the grace we have received and to motivate us to share it with others.
3. After having spent the first ten verses of his first letter to Timothy describing the importance of sound doctrine and the dangers of false teaching, Paul mentioned the glorious gospel of the blessed God (verse 11).
4. Paul couldn’t help but launch into a testimony of the application of that wonderful gospel in his own life.
5. In verses 12-17, Paul declared three things:
a. First, that he was thankful for what he had become.
b. Second, that he was remorseful for what he had been.
c. Third, that he was joyful for what made it all possible.
6. Let’s look at each of those things more closely.
I. First, Paul was Thankful for What He had Become
A. In verse 12, Paul wrote: I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry.
1. No wonder Paul radiated gratefulness - just look at what Christ did for him!
B. First, Paul said that Christ gave him strength.
1. Paul’s energy and power for ministry came from Christ himself.
2. His strength didn’t come from a college education; nor did it come through personal charisma; nor did it come through church growth gimmicks, rather his strength came from Jesus.
3. I think this is a great reminder for us.
a. Our ministry for Christ must be rooted in Christ.
b. Without Jesus and His strength at the center of who we are and what we do, we will accomplish very little that matters.
C. Second, Paul said that Christ considered him faithful - Christ trusted him.
1. Even as an unbelieving and Gospel-ignorant Jewish leader, Paul had maintained a good conscience because he lived up to the knowledge and understanding that he had.
2. Often those who are intensely wrong as lost sinners, become intensely right as Christians, and are greatly used of God to win souls.
3. William Barclay underscores the significance of the trust God was placing in Paul when he wrote: “Sometimes we forgive a man who has committed some mistake or been guilty of some sin, but we make it very clear that his past makes it impossible for us to trust him again with any responsibility. But Christ had not only forgiven Paul; he entrusted him with work to do. The man who had been Christ’s persecutor was going to be made into his ambassador.”
D. Third, Paul said that Christ appointed him to service (ministry).
1. Paul didn’t sign himself up for the job of apostle, God selected and appointed him.
2. Paul recognized that his appointment was not to some position of prestige, rather it was a position of service – ministry.
3. Paul had been chosen to be God’s instrument.
4. He would be rewarded in the end, but he would serve and suffer until that end.
5. Ananias, the man who was sent to instruct and baptize Paul, was given this message to deliver: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:15-16)
E. The Gospel of Jesus Christ had made such a difference in Paul and it made him so thankful for what he had become, yet Paul never forgot what he had been.
II. Second, Paul was Remorseful for What He had Been.
A. Paul wrote: Even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief (verse 13).
1. That is quite an ugly list of who and what Paul had been before he met Christ.
2. Some of us may have been living a life that was just as opposed to the things of God.
3. But if not, even if we were considered moral and good people, without Christ in our lives, we were still lost sinners.
B. Let’s take a closer look at the things Paul was before Christ intervened in his life.
1. First, He was a blasphemer: He was a blasphemer because he denied the deity of Jesus Christ, and forced others to deny it also.
a. Anyone who says that Jesus is not God’s Son and is not the Messiah, that person is a blasphemer.
2. Second, He was a persecutor: Paul was a persecutor because he used physical power to try to destroy the church.
a. Paul inflicted injury on individuals and on the church as a whole.
3. Third, He was an arrogant or violent man: the Greek word used here can be translated in several ways, including: “violent” or “insolent.”
a. An insolent person is someone who is rude and arrogant and who shows a lack of respect.
b. We know what a violent person is like, but here is an interesting take on the word from commentator William Barclay, he wrote: “the word indicates a kind of arrogant sadism; it describes the man who is out to inflict pain for the sheer joy of inflicting it.”
c. Regardless of the translation direction you go, Paul was not exactly a nice guy, right?
4. How could a guy like that end up in God’s service? Well…
a. A guy like that ends up in God’s service the same way we all do: by God’s mercy! Amen?
C. Did you notice that Paul said that he was shown mercy because he acted in ignorance and unbelief?
1. Even though Paul was a brilliant man and well educated, his mind was blinded to the truth.
2. He was still held accountable for his actions, but God recognized that his actions were based on sincerity.
3. He was truly ignorant, but when he was shown the truth, he responded to it.
4. It’s one thing to be wrong and to know we are wrong, but God looks at it differently when we are wrong, but don’t know we are wrong.
D. One thing that stands out in this passage is Paul’s insistence upon remembering his own sin.
1. He was very open with his failings.
a. Why did he remember his sinfulness with such vividness, and share it with such openness?
2. First, Because the memory of his sin was the surest way to keep him from pride.
a. There could be no such thing as spiritual pride for a man who had done the things he had done.
b. John Newton became one of the great preachers and hymn-writers of the church.
1. Perhaps his best known and loved song is “Amazing Grace.”
2. But before he was a Christian, he had sunk to the lowest of depths to which a man can sink. He had been an ungodly, heartless, slave-trader.
3. After his conversion and commission as a preacher, he made a sign in large letters and fastened it above the mantlepiece of his study, where he would be sure to see it.
4. It read: “Thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt and the Lord thy God redeemed thee.”
5. He also composed this epitaph: “John Newton, once an Infidel and Libertine, a Servant of Slaves in Africa, was by the Mercy of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Preserved, Restored, Pardoned , and Appointed to Preach the Faith he had so long labored to destroy.”
c. John Newton never forgot that he was a forgiven sinner; neither did Paul, and neither should we.
d. It does all of us good to remember how much we have been forgiven of, because it keeps us from spiritual pride.
2. Second, Paul remembered his sinfulness because the memory of his sin was the surest way to keep his gratitude aflame.
a. The bigger the debt we have canceled, the greater the appreciation we will have.
b. The surest way to be thankful always is to realize just how much we have been forgiven.
3. Third, Paul remembered his sinfulness because the memory of his sin was the constant urge to greater effort.
a. It is true that we can never earn the approval of God, nor deserve his love and mercy, but we should never stop trying to become better so that we might show our appreciation for His sacrifice and be more effective in our service.
4. Fourth, Paul remembered his sinfulness because the memory of his sin was bound to be a constant encouragement to others.
a. I won’t elaborate on that point here, because it leads us right into the next point in our sermon.
b. But in summary, Paul’s sin was something which he refused to forget, for every time he remembered the greatness of his sin, he remembered the still greater greatness of Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes through Jesus.
c. Now please, don’t misunderstand what I am saying: I am not encouraging anyone to negatively dwell upon their sin, and thus be burdened with guilt.
d. Paul remembered his sin in order that he might be kept from pride, that he might be motivated to do better, and that he might rejoice in the wonder of the grace of God.
e. I hope that will be the result of our remembering what we have been.
III. Third, Paul was Joyful for What had Made it all Possible
A. Paul wrote: 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. (1 Tim. 1:14-17)
1. What made it possible for Paul to change from who he was, to who he became? The unlimited patience and glorious grace of God.
2. God’s grace was more than sufficient to cover and cleanse Paul’s sin.
3. And how about you? Do you ever wonder if you’ve committed a sin too heinous for God to forgive? That’s impossible.
4. The shadow of sin, though sometimes long, and broad and dark, can never obscure the light of God’s grace.
5. Jesus died for all our sins – the big ones, the small ones (in our mind), the private ones and public ones.
a. The ones we struggle with, and the ones we are not even aware of!
6. Once we put our trust in Christ and stay in Christ, we stand under the endless fountain of His precious blood, which cleanses every sin we ever committed or will ever commit.
7. Is that not more than good news? Is that not the best news you have ever heard?
B. Paul put the whole gospel in a nutshell in verse 15.
1. The crux of the matter is prefaced with a key attention-getting phrase (a phrase we will see several times in 1 Timothy): “this saying is trustworthy and deserving of full attention.”
2. Paul was saying, “underscore this one;” “highlight it in yellow,” “you can take this one to the bank;” and “you can throw everything else away but keep this one.”
3. What is it? “Jesus came to save sinners!” That’s what Jesus’ ministry was all about. That’s why He came to earth – to save people – and the only kind of people that exist are sinners.
C. Then Paul held himself up as the best, worst example.
1. Paul said that he had received mercy so that Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.
2. In other words, Paul was saying, “If He can save me, He can save anybody.”
3. Suppose a man was seriously ill and had to go through a dangerous operation, it would be of great encouragement to him if he could meet and talk with someone who had undergone the same operation and had emerged completely cured. Right?
4. He wouldn’t want to meet someone who said, “My brother had the same operation and died.
5. Paul didn’t hide his past record, rather he shared it openly so that others might take courage and be filled with hope that the grace that had saved and changed him might save and change them.
E. And how should formerly miserable sinners, who are now redeemed saints, respond to God’s mercy?
1. How else but with praise.
2. And that’s what Paul did: “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen!” Amen! Amen!
3. Our God is truly awesome – God is worthy of that superlative – it is not a miss use of the term!
4. Our God is eternal, and immortal, and mostly invisible – He is the only true God.
5. Therefore, God deserves honor and glory forever and ever – And that’s exactly what God is presently getting and will get throughout eternity.
Conclusion:
A. What a marvelous passage and what a great lesson.
B. As Christians, we must never forget what we were, but we must always appreciate the grace that saved us, and we must continue to strive to be better and more like our God.
C. For those who haven’t yet become followers of Jesus, consider this: If Paul, the worst of sinners was saved, then you also can be saved.
1. That’s why Jesus came.
2. The grace of God and the forgiveness that comes through Jesus are a precious gift that must be accepted.
3. I pray that everyone will believe in Jesus, and turn their lives over to Jesus, and allow Jesus to transform them and employ them for kingdom purposes.
4. For those who have answered the call and become followers of Jesus, I want to encourage you to step back and marvel at your amazing “before and after” experience.
5. And as you marvel at what God has done for you, offer your praise and thanks to God, and share your testimony with others; just like Paul did.
Resources:
• 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus, Commentary by David Roper, Truth For Today Commentary
• “Sinners Saved?” – Sermon by David Owens
