The Trustworthy Sayings Of Paul

In his writings to the young minister Timothy and to Titus, Paul makes 5 statements which he says are “trustworthy.” Statements in which he feels are important and true. Basically Paul is writing to Timothy to give him encouragement and advice in his young ministry. And he says, you need to trust me when I say the following!

But why should we listen to Paul? Why should we trust what he is saying? There are several reasons why we should give heed to the words of the Apostle. The first of which is just that, he is an Apostle. He has the authority with which to speak. He even says in his opening remarks to Timothy, “by the command of God our Savior and Jesus Christ our hope.” It is imperative that we listen to those in authority. We are slowly seeing a decline in this area of society. Children are becoming more and more disrespectful to their parents. Students are becoming more brazen in their defiance of authority in our schools. Even our society shows little respect for those in leadership positions in our states and country. But Paul has the authority to speak and we should listen.

Paul also has the knowledge with which to speak. He has “been there done that” so to speak. He knows what he is talking about. If I know very little about a particular area, I defer to those who do know about the subject. I hope I never have to appear as a defendant in a court room, but if I do, I will hire a lawyer. A lawyer knows much more about what to do in a court room than do I. I am not foolish enough to try to perform surgery on myself should I need to operated on. I would seek the knowledge of a doctor to complete that task. When preparing many sermons, I ask Dick to read them and give me his honest opinion. His knowledge of sermon writing is much greater than mine.

Because of his knowledge, because of his authority Paul is to be trusted. So when he says, “this is a trustworthy” saying, we should give heed. We should listen carefully, because what he is about to say is something important. Something he wants to emphasize. So let’s look at the trustworthy sayings Paul writes to Timothy and Titus.

I. I Timothy 1:15

A. This statement by Paul is at the very heart of the Gospel. Christ came into this world to save sinners. That was His purpose. That is why He left the splendor of Heaven.

B. Luke 19:10 tells us that “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost." In our sinful state, we were lost, but Christ came to save us.

C. Since Jesus came into the world to save sinners, this is the first necessary qualification for being a child of God - being a sinner. So the great news is, sinners are not disqualified from coming to God, because Jesus came to save them.

D. There is a danger in our society today to feel that we are worthy of Christ’s sacrifice. That it is our right to have the love of God showered upon us. But Paul warned the church in Rome: “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Romans 12:3)

"As preparations were being made for a battle in the Revolutionary War, a corporal arrogantly ordered his men to lift a heavy beam. A man in civilian clothes was walking by said, "Why don’t you help them?" "Sir," he replied indignantly, "I am a corporal!" The man in civilian clothes apologized for his misperception, stripped of his coat and helped the soldiers himself. When the job was finished, he said, "Corporal, the next time your men need help, call on your commander-in-chief. I’ll be glad to help." With that, George Washington put on his coat and left". If we are truly honest with ourselves, then we will have to admit that sometimes we are like that corporal. This corporal sought to exalt himself only to find that he was humbled

E. I honestly feel that is why Paul tells Timothy, “I am the chief of sinners!” Paul was a solid witness for Christ. Paul made a complete 180 and gave himself totally to Christ. And yet, he calls himself the worst of all sinners. In part because of his past, but also to show that even he is unworthy of the grace of God, that Christ came to save even the Apostle! F. A trustworthy saying, Christ came to save sinners; a demonstration of His obedience and a demonstration of the love of God. Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”