So I invite you to open your Bibles this morning to Paul's first letter to Timothy, 1 Timothy. You'll find that near the back of your Bible, after Thessalonians, before Hebrews. That's on page 1262 in the Pew Bible. Now this is our third in a series through this letter that we began on Sunday evenings. If you come in in the middle, you'll have to go get it online. Paul wrote this letter to Timothy in Ephesus, a city where according to Acts 19 he and Timothy had ministered together for nearly three years and we remember the Acts 20 account of Paul calling together the elders in Ephesus to warn them that among their own number would arise fierce wolves who would not spare the flock and in short order men did arise certain persons, certain leaders they rose up to reject Paul's authority and to reject the gospel that he proclaimed therefore Paul sent this letter to Timothy to encourage Timothy in his charge but also to put the church on notice that Timothy had come to exercise the same authority and to preach the same gospel and so from the very beginning of this letter even in his greeting Paul makes it clear that to reject him and his gospel is to reject God and Christ then through the end of chapter 1 Paul reminds Timothy of his mission and that's to overrule the unruly in Ephesus we're going to read the entire chapter today to help us see how our text our text is only verses 12 through 17 to see that it fits in this whole it's not just a tack on that Paul decided to put here It's part of his argument, and we need to see it in its context. So this morning we're going to read 1 Timothy, chapter 1, in its entirety. Hear now the word of God to his people. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope. To Timothy, my true child in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane. for those who strike their fathers and mothers for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted. I thank him, this is our text this morning, I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service. though formerly I was a blasphemer persecutor and insolent opponent but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost but I received mercy for this reason that in me as the foremost Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life to the king of ages, immortal, invisible the only God be honor and glory forever and ever amen this charge I entrust to you Timothy my child in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you that by them you may wage the good warfare holding faith and a good conscience by rejecting these some have made shipwreck of their faith among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. So here ends the reading of God's word. Well certain persons last time I identified as wannabes who wanted to be something they were not. They wanted to be a lot of things, but above all, they wanted to be teachers of the law, even though they were without understanding, without understanding either what they were saying or the things about which they pontificated. They did not use the law of God lawfully, that is, in a manner that's consistent with the gospel. They were misusing the law by putting believers back under its condemnation as though they were unbelievers. And so in verses 9 to 11, as we read this morning, Paul demonstrated the lawful use of the law by laying it down in a very short, pithy summary of the Ten Commandments. This use of the law is in accordance with the gospel, which Paul had been entrusted. This use of the law is what exposed Paul's sin and laid him low on the road to Damascus. That's where Jesus intervened to save him, apart from the law. It was then and there that Paul experienced the gospel of grace. The gospel that Christ then entrusted to him as his ambassador. In our text this morning, verses 12 to 17, Paul calls to mind that day on the road. That day on the road sits behind everything that flows in these verses. And he brings it to bear to demonstrate the lawful use of the law in accordance with the gospel. And he is moved by God's mercy. By God's mercy to him. He is moved by God's mercy to thank Christ Jesus. To proclaim the gospel and to praise holy God. Those are our three points this morning. Well, Paul is moved to thank Christ Jesus in verses 12 to 14 because the law had been laid down for him according to the gospel and he'd been restored and entrusted by that gospel. He says, I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus, our Lord. Paul identifies Jesus by his full title, Christ Jesus our Lord. When Jesus confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, Paul denied Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is Lord. He revealed himself to Paul to be all that Paul thought he wasn't. Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, the Lord of all and especially the Lord of his people. Jesus laid Paul low with the law, exposing Paul's sin and misery. And he raised Paul up with the gospel that was delivered to him by Ananias, a faithful servant. Christ's power is made perfect in weakness. We remember that saying from when Paul prayed about the thorn in his flesh. but that's a statement of truth. Christ's power is made perfect in weakness, and he strengthened Paul that day, not only to begin in his service, but to continue in his service as an apostle. I thank him, Paul says, because he judged me faithful, appointed me to his service. He judged Paul faithful. The man who had never trusted Jesus a day in his life is counted as trustworthy. Jesus reckoned Paul worthy of trust, worthy of carrying the gospel to the nations. And so Paul would later reckon himself in 1 Corinthians 7, he said, I come as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy. Augustine explains Paul's meaning here. This verse can be troubling. and it sounds like Jesus accounted him trustworthy because he was in himself. He was not. Augustine says God does not choose anyone who is worthy, but in choosing him, renders him worthy. And Jesus chose Paul that day and rendered him faithful, rendered him trustworthy, and appointed him to be his servant. His servant tasked with serving as an apostle. And so Paul would address himself that way in his letter to the Romans. He said, Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, a bond slave, doing what I'm told. And I've been told to be an apostle. And this, of course, is in keeping with what Jesus said to his disciples. It's true for all of God's people. Whoever would be great among you must be your servant. And whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. for even the son of man came not to be served but to serve and to offer his life as a ransom for many that's what it means to be in the lord's service to be a servant to be to do what we're told and in paul's case that was to be an apostle and paul's both amazed and he's humbled that the lord would do this for him and he goes on in verses 13 and 14 to marvel at god's mercy toward him whose former credentials included being a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent opponent. How would you like to go get a new job beyond your wildest dreams and your credentials look like that? Paul's amazed that he would count me trustworthy. The law used lawfully had shown Paul what he was and his need for salvation. and the triad of judgment here is severe going from bad to worse Paul had been a blasphemer saying slanderous things besmirching the name of Christ and his church denying that Jesus is the Christ and Lord and denying that the church is the people of God falsehood, bald falsehood and Paul had been a persecutor words weren't enough for paul he he put things into action and he worked hard to erase the name of jesus of nazareth from the lexicon of the day that was his goal and he worked to dismantle the church in his name he worked hard at it he's vigorous and he describes himself as having been an insolent opponent. Insolent is a word we don't use very often. It's a wickedness that is born of anger and fury. He breathed out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. And we know that that comes out of the abundance of the heart. He was a hate-filled and violent man. Paul wraps them all together when he describes himself in Acts chapter 26. You'll hear all three here. I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I locked up many of the saints in prison. When they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. I punished them often in the synagogues and tried to make them blaspheme. Make them deny Christ as I deny Christ. And in raging fury against them, I persecuted them. That's who I was, says Paul. The law had been laid down for me, and I knew I was doomed. But, but I received mercy. I was shown mercy. The Lord acted, I simply received. And I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. Being ignorant, I had acted in unbelief. I was zealous for God, but not according to knowledge. For being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish my own righteousness, I did not submit to God's righteousness. I did not submit to Christ. I did not know that Jesus is Christ and Lord. And I really believed I was serving God when I persecuted the church. therefore if I was to be saved God must show mercy mercy is what I needed it's not what I deserved see Paul understands and we need to know that in this lawful use of the law given by the Lord to Moses there's a provision for mercy to the ignorant Numbers chapter 15 the Lord said to Moses you shall have one law for him who sins unintentionally in ignorance and another for the person who does anything with a high hand with determination and purpose the unintentional sinner the ignorant sinner when he becomes aware of his sin shall offer a sin offering a bloody sacrifice and the priest shall make propitiation before the Lord for the person and he shall be forgiven. The high handed sinner because he has blasphemed the word of the Lord shall be utterly cut off. His iniquity shall be on him. In other words for him there's no propitiation. The lawful use of the law accords mercy to ignorant sinners who when are made aware of their sin repent and seek forgiveness and they seek that forgiveness through the shedding of blood. They seek forgiveness for the shedding of blood for propitiation for the turning aside of God's wrath from themselves to another. And when the Lord showed Paul his sin and misery that day on the road to Damascus born of ignorance he also showed paul mercy mercy in christ jesus whom god put forward as a propitiation in his blood to be received by faith see paul is an ignorant sinner the lord showed him his sin he knew he was in trouble and the lord showed him mercy he provided the shed blood of jesus christ to cover his sin that he would be forgiven that the wrath of God would be turned from him to the cross of Christ and so Paul continues in verse 14 the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and the love that are in Christ Jesus you see the Lord provided a complete remedy for Paul's complete sinfulness He answered the triad of blasphemy, persecution, and insolence with the triad of grace and faith and love. Grace, sometimes defined as God's riches at Christ's expense, is God's love in action towards those who merit the opposite. His grace overflowed to Paul who deserved not God's love, but his wrath. His grace overflowed for me. It was more than sufficient to bring me out of unbelief and hostility into a relationship marked by faith and love. With grace came the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Being joined to Christ, these became mine. The Lord created faith within me. faith by which I believe, I trust in Jesus Christ, our Lord, whom I formerly denied. And he worked love in me for my Lord and for his people, whom I formerly hated. On the road to Damascus, Paul experienced all that he preached to the Ephesians. The Ephesians. Remember we have this whole letter to the Ephesians which predates this letter. In that letter at that time he thanked God for them. Having heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and their love toward all the saints. Grace had overflowed for them. How soon the wannabes had turned aside. How soon they had wanted to be free of this gospel. How soon was the church being torn asunder. perhaps they had been holding Paul's past against him as disqualifying him to serve with any authority in the church and to disqualify the gospel that he preached but if that's the case, Paul has just turned the tables he admits fully to his sin he doesn't hide anything and he gives all attention to the mercy of God lord's mercy and his abounding grace and he in in an in in a backhanded way he warns them against high-handed sin against this gospel that they once had professed to believe and so paul is further moved in in light of that disconnect with the people the wannabes in Ephesus. He's moved in verses 15 and 16 to proclaim the gospel to them yet again. And Paul proclaims the gospel here with a saying, a nugget of doctrinal gold, a memorable one sentence summary of the gospel, which is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. He says the saying is trustworthy it's faithful that's true because it comes from god who's faithful and we are i think right to believe that this saying was well circulated in the church well understood well received and affirmed to be true the bottom line is the truth of this statement was beyond dispute therefore it deserves to be fully accepted it's going to come to you this morning is faithful. It's true. It deserves to be fully accepted. To be received wholeheartedly without reservation. Here it is. The gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Jesus named that way because he came to save his people from their sins Christ his office the Messiah come to redeem the world by his blood he came into the world our abode the abode of sinners the abode of those disobedient and unrighteous enemies of God those outside of his family and he came into this world where the greatest need among us is to be saved from the wrath of God that we deserve. Christ Jesus came into the world. And he came into the world full of sinners to save sinners. As the Apostle John explains, whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. That's why he came. And to this faithful saying, to this gospel, Paul quickly adds by way of personal application that of the sinners Christ Jesus came to say, I am the foremost. I am the foremost. I am, present tense, the foremost. I am the first. I am the most prominent of sinners. I am Paul, who will forever be known for my hate-filled, violent, and deadly persecution of the church and of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's who I am. I am the foremost of sinners, more notorious than Jacob, than Moses, David, and Jonah, even Judas. I'm the foremost. And rightly so. But. But I received mercy. I was shown mercy. The Lord acted and I received. And I received mercy for this reason. For this purpose. That in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example. Jesus Christ is patient. Not only is he willing and able to wait, something we have a very hard time with, he's willing and able to wait in the face of provocation, in the face of those who oppose him, in the face of those who sin and thought word and deed. He's willing to wait and able to wait. And his patience is perfect. Both in its timing, it's never too little and it's never too much. It's just right. And it's perfect in its aim. His patience is aimed at leading sinners to repentance. And we tend to forget that. That in his patience he has purpose. And that's to lead us to repentance. And so Paul challenges us in Romans chapter 2. He says, do you not know that God's kindness, his forbearance and patience is meant to lead you to repentance? repentance? And Peter warns in 2 Peter chapter 3, the Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing anyone should perish, but that all should reach repentance. Therefore, count the patience of our Lord as salvation. Jesus Christ made Paul the poster child of his perfect patience for sinners. He laid Paul low with the law, exposing the depths of his sin in ministry, not only to Paul alone, but to the whole world. We know it today. Imagine your life put forward like that. And he raised Paul up with the gospel mercy, Revealing his abounding grace and the gifts of faith and love, not only to Paul, but showing Paul's to the whole world. Christ made the foremost of sinners to be the foremost example of his patience towards sinners. And in doing this, he's made the case. And this is the case that you are to hear this morning. This is the case that the wannabes were to hear that day. And that's a case from the harder to the easier. if Christ is able to be patient and forbear with a sinner as notorious as Paul and lead him to merciful rescue at the appointed time on the appointed day, then Christ is surely able to forbear and extend merciful rescue to sinners like you and like me. Jesus Christ set forth Paul as an example. Look at him. this example is here for you. It's an example to those who were to believe in him. An example to those who were destined to believe in him is how the Greek actually reads it. Destined. And this should not have fallen on deaf ears in Ephesus for if you remember Ephesians chapter 1, the whole point is that God has determined from before the foundation of the world those who will be rescued. This example is for them. Now, no one but the Lord knows who they are. No one but the Lord knows those he has predestined to be saved. Therefore, the apostolic ministry, the ministry of Paul, the ministry of the church in Ephesus, the ministry of the church here today is to extend this gospel of grace freely to everyone. For we know not to whom Paul will serve as an example. But we do know that those who are destined to believe in Jesus will be encouraged by the example that Christ made of Paul. And they'll be encouraged to believe in Christ for eternal life. Think about it. Could you have ever crafted that plan? as a way to use the most prominent, notorious sinner in the history of the church to serve for the glory of God and the salvation of sinners. Oh, the depths of the riches and the wisdom of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways. And that's where Paul is right now in verse 17. He's just brought to the place of praise. What's left to be said. Overwhelmed by the mercies of God, Paul's moved to the praise of the holy God. Much attention in these verses is to Jesus, our Lord. And here Paul turns to heaven. He says, to the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Short, sweet, and directed to the highest of heavens. A doxology directed to God in his holy transcendence, his holy distinction, his otherliness from all that he's made. High and lifted up, above all that he's made. To the God who's eternal, the king of the ages. King of kings and lord of lords in this age and in the age to come. To the God who is immortal, unchangeable, incorruptible, unlike everything else we know. The God who is invisible, whom no one has seen or can see. The God who is the only God. There is no other. And he looks to this God high and lifted up because he has condescended to come near and to come into this world to save sinners. He's come and made himself known in the person and the work of Jesus Christ, his only begotten Son, our Lord, our Savior. And for that, Paul is moved to praise. To him be honor and glory forever and ever. Hallowed and exalted be his name for such a great salvation. As we sometimes sing, all glory, laud, and honor to Thee, Redeemer, King. Amen, he says. Let this truly be. Amen? Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we thank you for the work of Christ. We thank you that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. We thank you and we wonder at the example you made of Paul, foremost of sinners the most prominent of sinners whose life you made known to us all that we might see in him an example of your perfect patience for sinners thank you that you're patient toward us thank you that you lead us to rescue we pray father that we would not chafe at your goads that we would not resist the tug of your spirit that we too would see that you the holy God lifted up high above has come to us in Christ to save us from your wrath to usher us into eternal life by the blood of Jesus Christ and help us Lord to live in the confidence of that to measure our lives according to that and to look at our neighbors according to that to the praise and the glory of your name Amen