Do you remember when you made a concentrated effort to clean your house and felt the satisfaction of a clean house? Then after all the work straitening, dusting, vacuuming you look across the room and everything looks clean and then a beautiful ray of sunlight comes through the window. In that beam of light, you see dust floating everywhere. What might have seemed clean looks dusty because the light has exposed what was there all along, but we just could not see it.
This is what happened to the apostle Paul in a spiritual sense. He thought he was pleasing God. He thought his house was in order. He followed the law and he thought he was a clean person. The ray of sunlight came in. It was actually the light of Christ that knocked him off his horse.
Paul, who was known as Saul at that time, met Jesus on the Damascus Road. He saw himself for what he really was, a sinner before God. He even called himself the chief of sinners.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his service. 13 Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. 14 The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 12-17)
This is a trustworthy saying.
This is from the letter that the Apostle Paul, who had this Damascus Road experience, is writing to his disciple Timothy. At the very first chapter Paul is giving Timothy this trustworthy saying. Paul emphasizes that this is a sure word.
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15)
There is no reason to thing that Timothy is going to reject this saying. After all he is a son in the faith of Paul. But Paul wants to emphasize how trustworthy this saying is. He makes the point that it is worth full acceptance. This is a saying that can be depended on and relied on. This saying is foundational to Christianity.
Paul emphasizes not only is this saying absolutely trustworthy, but it is also worthy of full acceptance. The idea is that of approval and that this is a welcome statement. Paul is saying, Timothy this next statement that you are about to read is of paramount importance. You must accept it without hesitation. You must not have any doubt about this statement. I can say that for you reading this now it is of paramount importance for you. You must accept it.
Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.
Here is the essence of the Christian faith. This statement contains everything we do at Christmas and Easter. This is the purpose statement of Jesus. It becomes our purpose statement as Christians. This statement captures the heartbeat of the entire Bible story from Genesis to Revelation.
The purpose of Jesus coming was to save sinners! Don’t let anything sidetrack you for that one message. Everything in the Bible makes sense in light of this statement.
When God called Abraham, he called him to bless all the families of the earth. “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” (Genesis 12:3) This makes sense when you know the purpose of Jesus coming was to save sinners.
When Joseph was led to Egypt and his family was there for 400 years this makes sense when you know the purpose of Jesus coming was to save sinners. When God raised of Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt this makes sense when you know the purpose of Jesus coming was to save sinners.
What the prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea and Malachi said makes sense when you know the purpose of Jesus coming was to save sinners. The stories of Ruth and Esther makes sense when you know the purpose of Jesus coming was to save sinners.
It all leads to one central point. It leads to a focus of history God simply calls, “the fullness of time.” God sent forth his son, born of a virgin, not to call the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. The purpose of your church, and the purpose of every New Testament church is to tell this good news that Jesus came to save sinners.
In my own life, as a teenager, I stated categorically that I did not believe in God or accept Jesus Christ. I went to church only because I was forced to go to church. My thinking was you can force me to go to church, but you cannot make me smile at church. When I heard the minister give his message, I felt sorry for him. I thought he was dedicating his life to something that was not true.
I took my ungodly world view to a secular University. In the midst of that God got my attention. People who shared my point of view toward God were changed and giving a testimony of the power of Jesus Christ in their lives. They were many different people that attributed their life of peace and joy to the same experience. That was receiving Jesus Christ as their savior. When I examined the life of Jesus and who he was, the claims he made I could not get around any of that. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
When I compared my life to the righteousness of God there was no denying that I was a sinner and I needed Jesus Christ as my savior. I accepted Jesus Christ. I asked God for Jesus death on the cross to pay for my sins. For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. (1 Peter 3:18)
After accepting Jesus Christ my life was drastically changed. I went from a godless lifestyle to serving Christ. People who hardly knew me asked my friends what happened to me. Others came to me and said I seemed completely changed, “I seemed happier.”
God continued to move at my university and others gave their life to Christ also. It really is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus himself said this, For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” (Luke 19:10)
That is why Jesus willingly humbled himself, to the point of death, even death on a cross. That was God’s plan for the salvation of sinners. That is the good news, especially if you are a sinner.
of whom I am the worst.
The apostle Paul not only identified himself as a sinner, but as the worst sinner. He was the chief of sinners, the foremost, the first in rank. He tells us why he thought this way.
Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. (1 Timothy 1:13)
If the apostle Paul recognizes himself as the worst sinner with no other hope but in God, where does that leave you and me? Even “worser that worst” I suppose. God saved Paul as an example of mercy. God can save anyone. He saved a man I met who was a former drug dealer, who passed out from drugs on the train track. He saved him later after the train ran over him and he lost his arm.
What about you? Where sin abounds, grace super abounds. Christ died for you. He died for your sins. To be a good moral person is meaningless when you are standing before God. The light of Christ exposes what a sinner we really are before Holy God. Paul is an example of the kind of sinner Christ came to save, the worst kind.
Jesus told the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ 14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” (Luke 18:9-14)
The Pharisee says I thank God I am not like other men, robbers and evildoers and adulterers and tax collectors. Not me I tithe and fast. But there was no salvation for him. The tax collector couldn’t even look up to heaven, beat his breast, and said God have mercy on me. He was justified.
Have you experienced the most important thing that could ever happen. Has the light brought to light the sin in your life. Cry out to God. Put your faith in Christ.
