SLIDE – Introduction
May I give you a very shocking statement?
Jesus is NOT the reason for the Season
I expect I got your attention with that one!!
But this is Christmas.
This is when we celebrate and remember the birth of Jesus.
How about all the decorations?
How about all the food?
How about all the Christmas music (secular & religious)
How about all the family gatherings?
How about all the Christmas plays and cantatas?
Schools close during this Christmas Season.
Businesses even give employees paid time off?
How about all the presents? (given & received)
Yes, Jesus. Second Person of the Trinity, did come as the little baby,
born of a virgin, wrapped in swaddling clothes,
laid in a manger, visited by shepherds and,
later, visited by Wise Men from the East.
And we certainly do celebrate His coming.
We celebrate the gift that God, the Father gave us.
We rejoice that God hasn’t forgotten us, but sent Jesus (for us).
We are relieved God’s plan is moving forward, being accomplished.
But, look with me at one verse of scripture.
This one verse that gives us the REAL reason for the Season.
And it isn’t found in Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. (the Gospels)
It’s found in the first letter Paul wrote to his protégé, Timothy.
I Timothy 1:15
“This is a faithful saying,
and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;
of whom I am chief."
WE are the reason – and Jesus is the resolution.
“THIS IS A FAITHFUL SAYING”
What “saying” is faithful? Which “saying is faithful”?
Hang On ….. It’s given a little later in this verse. We’ll get there.
This “saying” is a doctrine. A statement of belief.
It is an absolute truth – found in God’s Word!
This “saying” is the doctrine of Christ’s coming into this world,
and of free salvation by Him and through Him.
It is the sum and substance of the Gospel.
It is a “faithful saying” in which we see:
-The faithfulness of God, the Father being displayed
and the perfection of His nature, His holiness,
His justice, His love, His grace and His mercy,
His complete faithfulness to His word
of promise (which is being fulfilled),
-We also see the faithfulness of God, the Son through His work
on our behalf, accomplishing and providing what we could
NEVER be able to do or provide for ourselves.
-We even the faithfulness of the God the Father to God the Son
during His work here on earth.
-And we see the faithfulness of God the Son to complete
what the God the Father sent Him to accomplish.
“AND WORTHY OF ALL ACCEPTATION”
“worthy” – trustworthy, faithful, to be embraced and believed by all.
This “saying” is “worthy of all acceptation”:
-Because we are all sinners and need someone to save us.
“For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
There is no exception – ALL have sinned and,
therefore, all need a Savior.
-Because Christ died for ALL.
If He died for only a part of our race,
then He could only save a part of our race.
Who gets included? And how does one get included?
if only a part of our race could be saved?
But He did die for all, so all can be saved.
-Because the provision is made for complete forgiveness of sin.
It is honorable to God (maintaining His law and justice)
It is honorable to man (he is treated as a friend and heir)
-Because of what it gives us.
Heaven with all its glories and all Christ has provided for us.
“THAT CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD”
This great and unique doctrine of the Bible.
“Christ” – the Messiah, the anointed One, the Promised One,
the Prophesied One, the anticipated One
God the Son “came into the world” –
He therefore had a previous existence.
Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God
created the Heavens and the earth.”
John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God.”
He came….. (we call this the incarnation)
He had, therefore, an object, a reason, a plan in coming.
This makes His gospel even more “worthy of acceptation”
that He had an intention, a plan, a wish, a desire,
in coming into the world.
He came – even though there was no requirement for Him to do so.
No angel said He had to come.
No human demanded His to come.
No requirement forced Him to come.
Nothing necessitated Him to come.
He, alone, of His own volition, came!
“TO SAVE SINNERS”
His plan to come …..
His need to come …..
His object in coming ….. Is that:
He came “to save sinners”
He came to save Humanity
He came, specifically, to save you and me!
He came to SAVE, not to destroy.
He came to reveal MERCY, not to implement judgment
He came to demonstrate His great LOVE…..
in spite of our hatefulness
He came to save sinners (the poor, the lost, the wandering)
not to condemn them.
He came to restore those redeemed into favor with a holy God.
He came to raise sinners up from their sin and shame.
He came to make available to them - Heaven and all therein.
“OF WHOM I AM CHIEF”
We can take this one of two ways …..
One – Paul was and is the worst sinner ever!!
If Paul was the worst sinner and God saved him
Could God also save you?
Regardless of what you’ve done?
Let me answer for you – YES!
(see 1:13)
Two – Paul was the greatest of those who sinned through ignorance.
This would serve to show the deep sense
of his sin in reviling Christ,
and persecuting the followers of Christ,
and that he judged other men’s sins
more charitably than his own.
I expect this would fit about any saved sinner
who is looking at their own sins
in comparison to others around them.
Paul didn’t say, “of whom I was chief”
No, No. He said, “of whom I AM chief”
The fact remains: If Christ can save Paul, He can save you!
CONCLUSION
I Timothy 1:15
“This is a faithful saying,
and worthy of all acceptation
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;
of whom I am chief."
Paul took this offered salvation in a personal way.
Paul looked at his own righteousness – and saw a horrible truth.
Paul looked at Christ’s righteousness – and found a great LOVE.
WE ARE THE REASON AND JESUS IS THE RESOLUTION
