See Yourself In Paul’s Sandals!

How many people do you think are mentioned by name in the Bible? That’s an interesting question, isn’t it? Perhaps you already know the answer. Or maybe like me you never really thought about it. So, for those who don’t know the answer I am going to ask you to make a guess. Give it some thought. How many people are mentioned by name in the Bible? 300? 500? 1000? More than 1000? Pick a number and then I’ll give you the answer.

Okay, it looks like y’all are ready. According to the Biographical Bible, 2nd Edition, there are 3,237 people mentioned by name in the Scriptures. Perhaps you were pretty close with your guess. Maybe you were off by a long shot. But that’s a lot of people, wouldn’t you agree? 3,237 individuals mentioned by name in the Bile. Of course, some are very familiar and others not so much. With 66 books in the Bible covering thousands of years of history, I suppose it makes sense that the Bible mentions thousands of people. Some play a prominent role in the Bible (heroes like Abraham, King David, Paul, and of course Jesus who is mentioned more than anyone else) while others are just given a passing mention.

Since you and I are among the literally millions of people who are not specifically named in the Bible how do we connect with it? Is every page of the Bible meant for each of us? How do the stories of hundreds and hundreds of people intersect with our lives?

In one way or another each one of those 3,237 people listed in the Bible shows us how God interacts with humans. There are stories of disobedience and punishment. There are stories of doubt and faith, of obedience and blessing. But each one of them is written with God’s purpose and plan in mind. Each of them is written to teach you and me something. The Apostle Paul wrote that exact thing in Romans 15:4. “4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.” The stories of the famous and the infamous, the familiar and the unfamiliar, as they are recorded in the Bible are meant for us—to teach us. Today, we hear a little of the story of someone who is super well known in the Bible—the man with two names. Saul/Paul is the author of our Second Scripture Lesson. His words were specifically addressed to one other person---a pastor name Timothy. And yet, in a way his story is our story. Their stories are our stories. These words meant for one person are meant for every person. Today, I ask God the Holy Spirit to enable each of you to:

“SEE YOURSELF IN PAUL’S SANDALS!”

I. Worst of sinners

II. Chosen by grace

III. Appointed to service

These verses come from one of the three “Pastoral Epistles,” as they have been called—letters to pastors. (1 & 2 Timothy, and Titus) 1 Timothy let’s us in on the personal instructions from the veteran missionary Paul to his younger colleague, Timothy. Pastor Timothy had spent nearly twelve years with the Apostle Paul. But Paul had left Timothy in the City of Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3) to care for several congregations while Paul carried on Gospel Ministry elsewhere. Through this letter The Apostle Paul offered encouragement to Timothy for this challenging work. But before he talked about ministry, he reminded Timothy about the love of God they had both received through Jesus Christ. This is where we see one of the universal messages in the Bible. When it came to salvation, by grace through faith, what was true of Paul was also true of Timothy. And what was true of them is true of us. We have been saved by grace through faith. Jesus has shown us mercy. And although their service to Christ and their ministry was different than ours, we too are appointed to service.

I.

Of course, Timothy knew the Apostle Paul’s history of persecution and violence against Christians before his conversion. But Paul brings it up to him again to make a powerful point. “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.” Unlike Timothy who seems to have been born and raised a Christian, the Apostle Paul had once worked hard to destroy the Church of Christ. He doesn’t defend his actions he just explains that he acted in ignorance and unbelief. Then he points to the Good News of what Jesus accomplished. “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.” So, how do you think Timothy reacted to these words from his friend and fellow pastor? Do you think he shook his head with thoughts of shame for the Apostle Paul? I doubt that. I am wondering if Timothy had a very different reaction when he heard Paul called himself the “worst of sinners.” Perhaps Timothy had the reaction that I have had to Paul’s words. “At least he acted the way you did in ignorance and unbelief! I have sinned against Jesus and against my fellow Christians when I knew better and I wasn’t ignorant of God’s Word. And I have thought, said, and done sinful things while a believer not an unbeliever! In fact, I am ashamed to admit that I have at times done sinful things with full knowledge that what I was doing was wrong.” No, this isn’t some kind of “I’m a worse sinner than you” competition. But what it leads us to is a recognition of how all sins bring God’s condemnation and righteous wrath. From that perspective, we can see ourselves with Paul as the “worst of sinners.”