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You may turn in your Bibles to 
1 Timothy chapter 1. 1 Timothy chapter 1. Our focus this evening will be 
verses 15 to 17. Remember the apostle sets forth 
his example in terms of his conversion unto the Lord Jesus. He highlights 
what he was and how by the grace of God he had become not only 
a saved man But he also was counted faithful. Christ enabled him 
and put him into gospel ministry. Tonight we'll look at the gospel 
committed to Paul in verses 15 to 17. But I will read beginning 
in verse 1. Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, 
by the commandment of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ 
our hope. To Timothy, a true son in the 
faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and Jesus 
Christ our Lord. As I urged you when I went into 
Macedonia, remain in Ephesus that you may charge some, that 
they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless 
genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification 
which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment 
is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere 
faith. from which some, having strayed, 
have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the 
law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which 
they affirm. But we know that the law is good 
if one uses it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made 
for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, 
for the ungodly and for sinners. for the unholy and profane, for 
murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for 
fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, 
and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, 
according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was 
committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus, our 
Lord, who has enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting 
me into the ministry. Although I was formerly a blasphemer, 
a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because 
I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was 
exceedingly abundant with faith and love which are in Christ 
Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptance, 
that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom 
I am chief. However, for this reason I obtain 
mercy, that in me first, Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering 
as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting 
life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, 
invisible, to God alone who is wise, be honor and glory forever 
and ever, amen. This charge I commit to you, 
son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning 
you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith 
and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning 
the faith, have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, 
whom I delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme, 
amen. Let us pray. Father, we pray 
for the ministry of your Holy Spirit now. We come to a wonderful 
passage of Scripture, and we pray that we would appreciate 
what this faithful saying is all about, and that you would 
encourage our hearts and strengthen us in the faith. And God, again, 
we pray that this gospel would be proclaimed throughout the 
earth. and that multitudes would come to Christ, that multitudes 
would be saved. And our Father, we pray that 
for our own meeting together here tonight, for any and all 
who have yet to come, we pray that you would draw them by your 
powerful grace, draw them and cause them to see that Jesus 
Christ alone saves to the uttermost. And we pray in his most blessed 
name. Amen. Well, remember that the 
Apostle set Timothy or told Timothy to stay in Ephesus with a specific 
task in view. Verse 3, he says that you may 
charge some that they teach no other doctrine. There were those 
within the context of Ephesus that desired to be teachers of 
the law, they wanted positions of authority and leadership, 
and yet they were heretical, they were false teachers, and 
so Paul wants their mouths stopped. He wants Timothy to shut them 
up. And after saying that God had 
committed the gospel to his trust, notice in verse 11, according 
to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed 
to my trust, Paul now goes into a bit of a digression in verses 
12 to 17 to highlight something of himself as a pattern for God's 
grace or as a pattern for conversion. As one commentator says, verses 
12 to 14 convey Paul's own experiences But Paul's experience is not 
unique. Verse 15 gives the general truth 
of which Paul's experience was a particular example. Again, 
I think there's a twofold reason why the Apostle does that here 
in verses 12 to 17. One, again, to show himself as 
an example of the mercy, the grace, and the power of the gospel 
of our Lord Jesus. But as well, to silence the opponents, 
to silence those men, who are caught up in genealogies, who 
are caught up in fables, who are caught up in useless discussion 
about the law, rather than the truth that salvation is by grace 
alone, through faith alone, in Christ Jesus alone. So last week, 
we noted in verse 12, Paul's thankfulness, his expression 
of thanksgiving to the Lord Jesus Christ, who has enabled me, because 
he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. So there 
were those, according to verse 7, who desired to be teachers 
of the law. But Paul says it's Christ who 
enabled him. It's Christ who put him into 
the ministry. The ministry is not for self-willed 
men. The ministry is not for self-appointed 
men. It's not the case that anybody 
who desires ought to be able to preach and teach the gospel. 
They must do so faithfully. They must be given as gifts by 
price to his church. They must be recognized. They 
must be qualified. All those things that this epistle 
sets forth. And then what he does is explain 
his conversion. Paul's conversion in verses 13 
to 14. Just reviewings, we're not going to go far into the 
details here, but he speaks about what he was, a blasphemer, a 
persecutor, and an insolent man, and what by the grace of God 
he had become. Verse 14, the grace of our Lord 
was exceedingly abundant. God's grace overwhelmed Paul's 
sin. That is precisely what man in 
sin needs. He needs the grace of God. He 
needs mercy. He needs kindness. He needs the 
gospel. He needs the blessing of salvation. that comes from 
above. And that's then what he does 
in verses 15 to 17. He highlights, or he discusses, 
or he sets forth this gospel that has been committed to his 
care. I want to look at four things this evening. First, the 
faithful saying. Secondly, the specific content. 
Thirdly, the application to Paul. And fourthly, the doxological 
end. Doxological simply means praise, 
worship, glory, honor, adoration. We sing the doxology sometimes 
after a service. That is a time to express our 
praise and glory unto God, and that is precisely how Paul ends 
in verse 17. Paul can't discuss the gospel. 
Paul can't discuss grace. Paul can't describe mercy without 
busting out in praise unto the living and true God. And we'll 
see as we consider that doxology, there is an invitation to each 
and every one of us to join him in that praise. The end of it 
is amen. That is congregational in nature. It's not just his testimony to 
the truth that he has spoken, but it's also an invitation to 
the hearers to participate in ascribing glory and honor to 
the God of heaven and earth. Let's just look at these four 
things. First of all, the faithful saying. Notice in verse 15a, 
this is a faithful saying. This is one of five in the pastoral 
epistles. There are five times in the pastoral 
epistles, 1st and 2nd Timothy, and Titus, where we see that 
statement. This is a faithful saying. It probably means it 
is a standard truth among God's people. It is commonplace, not 
common in a bad way, but accepted, heartily agreed upon, and something 
everybody knew. And I find this amazing because 
at the time that the Apostle wrote, there was only about a 
30-year span between the ascension of our Lord Jesus to the right 
hand of the Father and the time that the Apostle wrote. It didn't 
take long for foundational truth to become foundational truth 
within the churches. It didn't take long for the gospel, 
the free and sovereign grace, to take root. They weren't discussing 
all the current theories, they weren't caught up in the fables 
and the endless genealogies and vain discussions about the law 
that these false teachers were. but rather the churches of Christ, 
those whom had been established by grace, already conceded, already 
received, and already delighted in this reality, that this is 
a faithful saying." Note the scope of this faithful saying. He says, this is a faithful saying, 
and worthy of all acceptance. Now certainly it would be accepted 
in the church. For Paul to make this appeal, 
that this is a faithful saying, underscores or presupposes the 
fact that the churches of Christ already received this. They would 
agree about this. But Paul says the nature of this 
faithful saying is such that it is worthy of all acceptance. People in Tyre need to hear this. People in Asia need to hear this. 
People all over the world need to hear this. People in our neighborhoods 
need to hear this. People in our workplaces need 
to hear this. People that never darken the 
door of a church need to hear this. This faithful saying is 
worthy of all acceptance. It's been agreed upon in the 
churches, it's been embraced by the grace of God upon the 
believer, but the sinner Those outside the church, those outside 
the saving realm of Christ's redemptive work, they need to 
hear it as well. This gospel, this faithful saying, 
it's worthy of all acceptance. We ought to pray, we ought to 
preach, we ought to tell, we ought to exclaim that Christ 
Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's the specific 
content. Secondly, Notice, this is a faithful 
saying and worthy of all acceptance, and here's the specific content 
of that faithful saying, that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners. This highlights a couple of things. 
First, the statement of His coming. The incarnation is referred to 
here, isn't it? Christ Jesus came into the world. Well, what should that make you 
think of? It should make you think of the reality that God 
the Son left heaven above to come into this world. John the 
Apostle writes often, or in the pen of John, conveys the words 
of Christ when he says often, for this cause I have come into 
this world. To Pilate, for instance. in order 
to be king. For this reason I have come into 
the world. The incarnation of Jesus Christ 
is an objective historical truth that does prepare the way for 
the saving activity of our Lord of Glory. In other words, He 
couldn't have lived in obedience to the law. He couldn't have 
died as a sacrifice at Calvary. He couldn't have been offered 
up or delivered up by the Father for the sins of his people without 
that manger in Bethlehem, without that incarnation, without that 
enfleshment. And that's precisely what incarnation 
means. The Bible teaches there is one 
true and living God who exists eternally as Father, Son, and 
Holy Spirit. And this God made a pact made 
a covenant to save his people from their sins. And the second 
person of the Trinity took upon himself the responsibility and 
obligation to come and live as one of us. To say that the foxes 
had holes, the birds had nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere 
to lay his head. He came as the servant of the 
Lord to be that man of sorrows, to be acquainted with grief, 
the one upon whom the chastisement for our peace was laid upon." 
So the incarnation is certainly preeminent in this statement 
that Christ Jesus came. And notice, He came into the 
world. This is the sphere or the arena 
of God's redemptive act. He came into the world. Now, 
what are we supposed to suppose with reference to the world. 
John 3.16 says, God so loved the world that he gave his only 
begotten son. I think it was Warfield, either 
Warfield or Carson, who commenting on that particular verse said, 
the thing that's amazing about John 3.16 with reference to the 
world, I know there's a fly up here, maybe just ignore him. 
He'll maybe go away or to the back. When we read, for God so 
loved the world, the amazing thing about that declaration 
is not that the world is big, but that the world is bad. That's 
what really ought to cause us to stand and wonder. The same 
thought is here. This is a faithful saying. It 
is worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world, 
the world that He made, the world that He governs, but that world 
that is polluted with sin. In fact, Warfield, commenting, 
says, when we read accordingly of Christ Jesus coming into the 
world, we are not reading of a mere change of place on the 
part of our Lord, or a mere descent on His part from heaven to earth. 
We are reading of the light coming into the darkness. The world 
is the sphere of darkness and shame and sin. This is a faithful 
saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the 
world The light entered into the darkness in order to save, 
in order to affect, in order to redeem, in order to carry 
out salvation. What we find in this faithful 
saying are the twin concepts of incarnation and redemption 
with the sinful world as the objects of the love of God and 
the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the statement of His coming 
is that Christ Jesus came into the world. The specific purpose 
is highlighted at the end. Sinners to save. That's literally 
how it goes. Sinners comes first. You can 
do that in Greek in order to show emphasis. Remember that 
Paul doesn't have Microsoft Word or Apple, whatever Apple has. I happen to think apple when 
I look this way here. He didn't have underscore. He 
didn't have highlight. He didn't have boldface. He didn't 
have italics. You see, in my notes, if I want 
to emphasize something, not like scream or yell or caution people 
about flies, but if there is a point of emphasis, you use 
boldface or you underline. Paul does that. He shows what 
the mission involved. Christ Jesus came into the world, 
sinners to save. It's interesting, world and sinners 
go right next to each other. Again, to highlight the reality 
that it's not just a change in sphere, not just that he came 
from heaven to earth, but the reality that he came from a spotless 
purity in heaven to a sinful, polluted earth. Sinners to save. See, that's why Jesus came. That's 
the goal, that's the purpose, that's the reason. If anybody 
ever asks you, why did Jesus come into this world? Go to 1 
Timothy 1.15, please. Don't say, well, I'm not sure. 
I don't know. Yes, he came to start a new religion. Yes, he came. No, no, no. He 
came sinners to save. And when we consider those two 
words, two in Greek, sinners to save, what does this suggest? What does this cause us to reflect 
upon? Hopefully, the plan of redemption 
as a whole. You see, sinners to save means 
a lot when you ask the Bible, what does it mean, sinners to 
save? I think there are at least three thoughts we ought to pursue 
in our minds and in our hearts when we consider this brief statement 
that Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save. I think 
the first takes us all the way back to eternity past. 1 Timothy 1.15 brings to fruition The eternal decree of the living 
and true God. The execution of God's decree. When did God purpose sinners 
to save? He purposed it before the foundation 
of the world, according to Ephesians 1, verse 4. Remember in Ephesians 
1, verse 3, Paul says, Blessed be the God and Father of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. Why should we bless Him? Why 
should we speak well of Him? Why should we attest, attribute 
doxology to Him? Because He has blessed us with 
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus. He says in verse 4, He chose 
us in Him before the foundation of the world. So when we read 
1 Timothy 1.15, and Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners 
to save, let your mind go backwards just a little bit. In fact, let 
it go even past the garden to the eternal counsel of the living 
and true God. the eternal decree. This is what 
Christ does. He executes this decree in time, 
in history, through his life, through his death, and through 
his resurrection. It is a blessed statement of 
God's purpose. Secondly, we ought to consider 
to serve as mediator of the covenant of grace. He comes to serve as 
the mediator of the covenant of grace. Galatians 4.4 tells 
us, in the fullness of the times, God sent forth His Son, born 
of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law. 
Why did He do that? To execute the eternal decree. 
to carry out his role as covenant mediator, to carry out his role 
as a surety. In fact, in Hebrews 7.22, we 
read that Jesus is the surety of a better covenant. He is the 
one that fulfills the obligation of this transaction between the 
persons of the triune God. I'm not trying to confuse anyone 
here. I'm not trying to make you say, oh, come on, that's 
not all there in 1 Timothy 1.15. It most certainly is. This is 
a faithful saying. It is worthy of all acceptance. 
Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save. Sinners whom 
God predestined. Sinners whom God chose in Christ. 
Sinners whom God, in His own benevolence, and in His own love, 
and in His own mercy, and in His own affection, set His heart 
upon. And then God decreed the sending 
of His Son. This was promised in Genesis 
3.15. The seed of the woman would crush 
the head of the serpent. It would be Christ that would 
deal the decisive death blow to the devil and free the sons 
of men. You see, Christ coming into this 
world, sinners to save, is the execution of the eternal decree 
of God, secondly, to serve as mediator of the covenant of grace, 
and thirdly, to save sinners. For you theologues, we've gone 
from the Pactum Salutis to the Historia Salutis to the Ordo 
Salutis. That's what's happening. We see 
in this statement in 1 Timothy 1.15 the fruition of God's redemptive 
plan of the age. It all is hinged upon, it is 
all upon the person of the Son of God. He comes to save sinners. Matthew 1.21, you shall call 
His name Jesus for it is He who will save His people from their 
sins. Matthew 9.13, I did not come 
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Luke 19.10, the 
Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. 
You see, that is the purpose of this redemptive plan. If you 
are not a Christian tonight, Sinner is what you need to be. It's an interesting thing. I don't have anything to do in 
order to secure the redemptive benefits of Christ. I can't purchase 
my salvation. I've heard that preached here. 
I can't work for my salvation. I've heard that preached here. 
You're a sinner. Throw yourself on the mercy of 
God in Jesus Christ. That is what is requisite. Christ came sinners to save. The target? again is the place 
of emphasis, the means. Paul doesn't flesh that out. 
People would know with reference to this faithful saying, Christians 
in the 21st century who know their Bibles, who study their 
confession of faith, who are somewhat conversant in the system 
of God's dealings with men would know how Christ Jesus saves. He saves through his life. He 
has obeyed the law of God. You see, we need a righteousness 
that avails with God that we cannot satisfy, that we cannot 
fulfill because of our own sinfulness, our own waywardness. So Christ 
comes and always obeys the law. You ever thought about that? 
Christ never sinned. The person, or one of the earthly 
persons that was closest to Jesus tells us there was no guile on 
his lips. He applies Isaiah's prophecy 
concerning him to the Lord Jesus. I've said this before, that when 
you're around certain people, generally speaking, you don't 
see them growing in holiness. Generally speaking, you see more 
of their waywardness. Familiarity breeds what? Well, 
contempt on the one hand, but hopefully not that with your 
wife or your husband. Usually what happens is you see more 
of their blemishes, more of their faults. You know, young people, 
they think, I'm going to get married and it's going to be 
perfect because the sun radiates out of my beloved's eyes. Not 
always. Your beloved is going to have 
bad breath. Your beloved is going to get cranky. Your beloved is 
going to do things. that just rub you the wrong way. 
You see, the more intimately acquainted we are with persons, 
the more we see their sins. Except Christ. Except Jesus. Paul could call Him holy, harmless, 
and undefiled, separate from sinners. You see, this was a 
specific purpose, or this had a specific intent, We need righteousness. We need an imputed righteousness. 
And Christ satisfies that through His own perpetual, perfect obedience 
unto the entirety of God's law. But it's not only a righteousness 
that we need. We need the forgiveness of sins. 
We need the pardon of iniquity. How do we gain that? How do we 
get that? The blood of bulls and goats 
can never take away sin, but it's Christ who is the Lamb of 
God who takes away the sin of the world. So that when Christ 
goes to that cross, God the Father punishes Him in our stead. God the Father punishes Him on 
our behalf. So Christ takes our punishment, 
He takes the wrath of God, He takes the fury and damnation 
that we deserve. And in that transaction then 
is given to us that righteousness. See, it's beautiful. The Gospel 
answers specifically and beautifully to the needs of sinners. We don't 
need a little help. Jesus isn't a helper. We don't 
need somebody to come and give us pep talks. We don't need somebody 
to come and just give us a little kick in the rear end and put 
us on our way. We need salvation, and that is 
what Jesus does. Notice he doesn't prepare them 
for salvation, he doesn't help them to salvation, he doesn't 
aid them in saving themselves, he actually saves sinners. This 
is the nature of the faithful saying. Christ Jesus came into 
the world, sinners to save. Again, Warfield says, for this 
end did he come into the world to save sinners. And nothing 
short of the actual and complete saving of sinners will satisfy 
the account of his work given by his own lips and repeated 
from them by all his apostles. really ought to bother us when 
people say that Jesus simply is a good example. He's simply 
a good man. He simply started a new religion. 
He was a revolutionary character. He paved the way. He showed us 
what love and beauty and glory and all of those sorts of things 
are supposed to look like. That's not it. The Jews seek 
signs. The Greeks seek wisdom. But we preach Christ and Him 
crucified. Sinners don't need examples. 
They don't need revolutionaries. They don't need new founders 
of religion. They need priests who offer themselves, 
or a priest who offers himself up on their behalf to save them 
from their sins. Christ wears the king's crown. He rules. He governs. He defends. He punishes. He orders all things. He wears the prophet's mantle. He speaks to His church by His 
Word and by His Spirit. But Jesus Christ is Priest, and 
we need that office for salvation. That's what the Apostle wants 
us to get. Christ Jesus came into the world, 
sinners to save. Notice the application to Paul 
in verse 16. However, for this reason, That 
statement goes forward. It doesn't go backwards. However, 
for this reason, I obtained mercy. Isn't that what a Christian is, 
in his sum and substance? Somebody would ask you, why are 
you a Christian? Would you say, because I made 
a good decision? Because I acted upon information? 
Because I walked an aisle? Because I signed a card? Because 
I logged my name on an email roster? No. I obtained mercy. Isn't that it? The final analysis? Why will we sit with Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob at the marriage supper of the Lamb? Because we 
were good people? Because we obeyed? Because we 
went to church, we read our Bibles, we could recite the confession 
of faith? We obtained mercy. That's it? That's what distinguishes. That's the uncommon denominator. We have obtained mercy. That is precisely what sinners 
stand in need of. You know, when people say, I'm 
such a great sinner, we ought never to say anything other than, 
He's a great Savior. If you ever begin to reason, 
oh, my sins are so many that Christ could never forgive, you 
haven't understood Christ. Remember, Paul's already spoken 
of his exceedingly abundant grace. I mean, I'm happy with grace. Grace is great. But exceedingly 
abundant grace? Why is there exceedingly abundant 
grace? Because there is exceedingly 
abundant sinners. We need to be overwhelmed by 
the graciousness of God. And that is precisely what we 
have in the Christian message, in the Christian gospel, which 
is encapsulated here in these two Greek words. Sinners to save. That's what Jesus is all about. Paul says, however, for this 
reason I obtained mercy. Oh, oh, just backing up for a 
moment. He says, of whom I am chief. Can't miss that. I don't 
know that Paul means he was worse than Joseph Stalin. I know that 
Joseph Stalin hadn't lived yet. Was Paul quantifiably the worst 
sinner that ever lived? Yes. Are you the quantifiably 
worst sinner that ever lived? Yes. Whenever you consider yourself 
before a thrice holy God, what is the response? I'm the chief 
sinner? I'm the worst of the worst. Who 
is suspicious of people that don't own that? If Paul is paradigmatic, 
and by that I mean he's a pattern for salvation, which he says 
that he is, in verse 16, pride and a lack of embracing one's 
badness, a failure to appreciate how wretched you really are, 
really just seems to be out of place. You see, when people come 
face-to-face with the Holy God, when people come face-to-face 
with the unholy self, when people come face-to-face with their 
scriptures, they do not boast of their goodness, they do not 
boast of their ability, and they certainly don't stand up and 
say, God, you owe me one. No, they say with Paul, sinners 
to save, of whom I am chief. In light of the holy law of God 
most high and of the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ most high, 
one rightly concludes that they are heir to that title, chief 
of sinners. In other words, if there were 
parking spots, you wouldn't have your name there, you'd have chief 
of sinners. Now in this, Paul is not boasting, 
Paul is not glorying in the amount of sin that he is engaged in, 
Paul rather is glorying in free grace. superabundant grace, exceedingly 
abundant grace, and mercy that has been poured out upon him. 
So when he brings this out, of whom I am chief, he is encouraging 
his readership, he is encouraging posterity with this thought, 
with this idea. That if you think yourself beyond 
the pale of redemption, if you think yourself beyond hope, flee 
to the Savior. Because if He saved me, Paul 
says, He can certainly save you. Have you ever thought that way 
when you're talking to someone? Have you ever wanted to say, 
look, if He saved me, He can certainly save you. You know, 
many testify I wasn't seeking God. Many testify I was running 
from God. Many testify I was opposed to 
God. You take that man John Newton. 
John Newton was a slave trader, a blasphemer, a man who cursed. 
He's a terrible sinner, a vile sinner, a wretched sinner. What 
happens? God conquers him. Probably just so he could write, 
when we've been there 10,000 years, bright, shining as the 
sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we first 
begun. You see, God gets glory in the 
salvation of sinners. It's wonderful. Mounts says, with reference to 
Paul's statement concerning I obtained mercy, Paul carried with himself 
not only the victory of one justified, but also the constant awareness 
that he was a sinner saved by grace. You see, you never lose 
that as a Christian. You never get to the point where 
you say, well, you know, after all, I wasn't that bad. After 
all, God did really kind of owe me after all. No, I think it's 
just the opposite. The more you traverse, the more 
you engage in the Christian life, the more you realize, apart from 
that mercy, apart from that grace, apart from that cross, I deserve 
hell and damnation forever and ever, world without end. And 
I think that as a Christian. Amazing. And then notice, he 
is the chief of sinners, he is the recipient of mercy, he is 
the pattern of redemption. However, for this reason I obtain 
mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show, it's not a 
blessed statement, all longsuffering. Patience, longsuffering. It's 
a character, an attribute of God most high. How do you read 
the Old Testament and not see that? The people that really 
amaze me are the people that say, oh, that Old Testament is 
so filled with wrath and so filled with judgment and so filled with 
anger. Really? I mean, I find myself at times 
saying, come on, God, bring it. Look at these people. I actually 
don't. You kind of get that. Like, how 
long is God going to bear with these people? How long is God 
going to suffer with these people? How long before he brings his 
judgment to bear upon these people? If you read the Old Testament, 
you miss the long-suffering of God. You've missed a major part 
of it. How in the world does God suffer 
long with this current generation? How in the world, when we murder 
babies? I saw testimony from a Florida 
case in Florida last week. They're talking to a lady from 
Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood opposes saving 
a baby who survives a botched abortion. The lawmakers themselves 
were blown away. Like, what is it about this that 
you, why would you oppose this? Can you imagine that? A baby 
survives an abortion and Planned Parenthood still maintains the 
right to abort! Infanticide! I look at that and 
I say, God is long-suffering. I can't believe that Planned 
Parenthood is still standing. You see, Paul In those years 
as Rabbi Saul, especially when he was persecuting the church 
and trying to destroy the church, he is a living example of the 
patience of God. 2 Peter chapter 3, scoffers will 
come in the last days. And they will say, where is the 
Lord? He promised to come. Where is 
this Jesus who said, that he would come. One of the statements 
that Peter says on how we ought to interpret the long-suffering 
of God, the patience of God, he says it is salvation. In other words, the fact that 
Jesus hasn't returned is evident proof and manifest evidence that 
God is going to save more people. It's an amazing thing. Paul says, 
for this reason, which again points forward to this statement, 
that in me first, Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering 
as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting 
life. Just to sum up this thought, 
just quote a man, commentator. He says, at no point in this 
depiction of his gospel, and as his role as an apostle, does 
Paul confuse his experience with the gospel. Faith must be in 
Christ, and the gospel is about Christ, not Paul. However, in 
the polemical contest, that means Paul is having to do battle. 
In the polemical contest, where his mission and authority are 
under fire, he says, compare 2nd Corinthians and Galatians, 
two similar places, where Paul has to defend his apostolic authority 
because of the attack of the heretics. He says, where is mission 
and authority are under fire and the church has been placed 
in danger of missing or distorting the truth of the gospel, Paul 
is not slow to put his call to apostleship and his understanding 
of the gospel on the line. He insists that only the gospel 
he endorses is true. These endless genealogies, these 
fables, and these useless discussions about the law do not end in salvation. Paul is saying in 12 to 17, under the authority of Jesus 
Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, am right. Those false 
teachers are wrong. They must have their mouths shut, 
not for Paul's glory, not for Paul's honor, but for God's glory, 
for God's honor, and for the good of the Church. You see, 
when men come in and distort the truth, when men come in and 
preach a different gospel, it brings discredit to the glorious 
God of heaven and earth, and it brings damnation to people. 
So Paul does this digression in order to help Timothy shut 
the mouths of these fools that want to spend their time on heresy. He insists that only the gospel 
he endorses is true. God ordained his mission and 
calling, and his own experience of Christ's mercy demonstrates 
the power of the gospel he preaches and his authority to do so. That's 
exactly what I would have liked to say if I could have. Towner 
nailed it. That's why verse 16 is there. And then, as I said, there is 
a doxological end. See, for Paul, theology wasn't 
a cold exercise. It wasn't a sterile environment. 
It wasn't put God under the microscope and take your notes and jot down 
your findings and then walk away. No, for the apostle, theology, 
specifically soteriology, the doctrine of salvation, thrilled 
his heart, inflamed his heart. caused him to praise, caused 
him to glory, caused him to honor, caused him to worship. You see, 
that is one of the reasons why we believe you ought to know 
theology, why you ought to know your Bibles, why you ought to 
know good, sound doctrine. To the degree that you understand 
who God is, to the degree that you understand the glorious gospel 
of Jesus Christ our Lord, To that degree, you will express 
worship, praise, adoration, and wonder. That is precisely what 
Paul does here. Note the object of praise. Now, to the king eternal. The king of the ages, the transcendent, 
the sovereign one who ruled the past, who rules the present, 
and who will rule forever. This one alone is worthy to be 
praised. This king of the ages is worthy 
to be glorified. This king of the ages ordained 
this means or ordained this method. of salvation, and certainly he 
is due praise and honor. He describes him as immortal. This means incorruptible, immune 
from decay. Probably has the idea of immutability 
or unchangeability. Kind of harkens back to what 
we studied on Wednesday night in that Song of Witness. How 
many times does that Song of Witness refer to God as rock? He is stable. He does not decay, 
He does not go away, He is immovable, and He is one upon whom we can 
throw our souls. He is invisible. God is spirit. He does not have a body like 
men. John 4, 24. John 1, 18. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is 
in the bosom of the Father, He has exegeted Him, He has declared 
Him. And then he is God alone who 
is wise, or the variant reading, the only God. The only God could 
hearken back to the Shema of Deuteronomy 6.4. Hear, O Israel, 
the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Either way, whether it's 
the only God or two God who alone is wise, the emphasis is upon 
the solitariness, the uniqueness, and the glory of this one. In 
conclusion, George Knight says, when Paul considers what the 
king of the ages grants to the sinner, he thinks of how wonderful 
it is that God, who is transcendent, immortal and invisible, the only 
God should come into the world to save sinners in Christ and 
in this marvelous condescension display his eternal glory. That's the object of praise, 
the content is be honor and glory. Now this does not mean give to 
something what it doesn't have. God has honor. God has glory. The one ascribing these things 
recognizes it, amens it, confirms and affirms, and adds its hearty 
approval and assent to this reality. He says, be honor and glory forever 
and ever. Amen. Amen. As Calvin says, by 
his example he reminds us all that we ought never to think 
of the grace manifested in God's calling without being carried 
to lofty admiration. In other words, when this Amen 
was spoken in the congregation, that's why it's somewhat disconcerting, 
brethren, when we don't give the Amen just after a hymn, but 
there are times when we ought to affirm, with an Amen, this 
hearty approval of truth, God's truth, something the early church 
practiced, the saying of the Amen. This showed participation. This showed affirmation. This 
showed a reciprocity. It wasn't just one man sort of 
flowing these ideas down. The congregation is right there. 
The congregation is assenting. The congregation is receiving. 
And the congregation is responding. Amen. That is absolutely appropriate 
in the public worship of the Living God. We find that in the 
New Testament. We find that in the Old Testament. It expresses the writer's stated 
confirmation of what he expressed in the doxology and most likely 
also seeks to invoke that response from the readers. Now the pastor 
shouldn't say, can I get an amen? Give me an amen. That's kind 
of cheesy. But if you are moved by the truth 
of God Most High to affirm with an Amen, certainly that is legit 
in the public place of worship. Brethren, this text sets forth 
to us what ought to be a faithful saying in the church today. This 
text is definitional. This text is programmatic. This 
text ought to be what makes us function as a church. You see, 
we may never be able, and we cannot ameliorate, that means 
fix, all of society's problems. We may not be able to fix all 
of our own problems in terms of economics. in terms of physical, 
in terms of the trials and the difficulties, but this one thing 
the church must do. She must preach the gospel. She 
must preach Christ crucified. She must preach the cross. Well, 
he's been struck in that instance when Peter and John went to pray. 
They met that lame man on the way. He held out his palm and 
he asked for alms. And this is what Peter did say, 
silver and gold have I not. The church is not the dispenser 
of silver and gold. The church is not the one who 
crowns the new emperor. The church is not the one to 
fix everything in society. We saw that this morning as well. 
The church propagates the everlasting gospel of free and sovereign 
grace for the salvation of sinners. 1 Timothy 1.15 is a faithful 
saying, worthy of all acceptance, and may I offer, the church today 
needs to accept it. She needs to get back to the 
truth of 1 Timothy 1.15 and quit playing games. We don't need 
men in pulpits just serving as a rah-rah crowd. We don't just 
need pep talks. We don't just need to be prepared 
for our difficulties tomorrow. We need to be prepared for eternity. We need to understand the wrath 
of God, the law of God, the fury of God, the righteousness of 
God, and that Christ is that only refuge. for sinners. This 
text is absolutely crucial for church life. Secondly, let us 
never forget the objects of His mercy, sinners, like Paul, who 
was chief, like Matthew, who was counting his loot, like John 
Newton, like the men of old, and like you and I, sinners. When all is said and done, my 
dear brothers and sisters, you are a redeemed sinner. Hopefully 
that keeps us humble. Hopefully that keeps us humble. 
Now, the Roman Catholic Church, one of the big problems with 
her is not the hats. It's not the incense. Those aren't good things, but 
one of the big problems is acceptance with God. That's a huge thing. Acceptance with God in Rome depends 
upon faith in Christ. So far, so good. But not only 
faith in Christ, my faithfulness as a Catholic. In other words, 
I look to Christ and then I do what Rome tells me to do. You see, in Rome, there's no 
distinction between justification and sanctification. It's one 
big mess. You believe and then you do in 
order to find acceptance with God. We all know that. That's 
been the way it's been for lots of years. This happens in Protestantism. It's not faith in Christ, it's 
my faithfulness. my covenantal faithfulness, my 
belief in Christ, and the way that I live my life, which ultimately 
endears me to God most high. Whenever men proffer such a suggestion, 
I'm inclined to think they have no understanding of sin. They 
have no understanding whatsoever that the good that we do, even 
as Christians, are still like filthy rags in the sight of God 
Most High. We are justified freely by His 
grace. Salvation is founded upon the 
doing and the dying and the rising of Jesus Christ alone. Our justification 
is based on that solid foundation. It is the only way for a sinner 
to enter into God's heaven. It is through the blood. It is 
through the cross. If we think for a moment, Jesus 
and us, we have misunderstood the gospel. He came sinners to 
save. So as Christians, would you want 
to be judged by God with reference to heaven or hell based on your 
activity or your conduct today? I wouldn't. Because I know in 
my heart of hearts that there were moments of today, probably 
more than I'd like to number, where I wasn't loving God with 
all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. I wasn't loving my 
neighbor as myself. You see, that's the demand of 
the law. That's the demand of God's holiness. That's what righteousness requires. It's not a partial obedience. 
It's not a well I tried. It is an absolute perfect obedience 
to the law answered only by the Lord Jesus. So in the final analysis, 
my dear brothers and sisters who are in Christ, you are a 
redeemed man or woman, but you are a redeemed sinner. That's our lot. Well, brethren, 
let us understand this, let us cleave to the God of heaven and 
earth, and let us join with the Apostle Paul in ascribing glory 
and honor to our God. to this one who is the king of 
the ages, this one who is immortal, this one who is invisible, to 
God who alone is wise. And if you have not believed 
on the Lord Jesus, come, believe, taste and see that the Lord is 
good. Look to Him and you will live. That's what the scripture says. 
All those who believe in Him will have everlasting life. It 
is a promise from the God who cannot lie. Well, let us pray. Our Father, we thank you for 
your word, and we thank you for this faithful saying. We know 
that Christ Jesus came into the world, sinners to save, and in 
this we greatly rejoice, Lord God Almighty. Help us to praise 
you, help us to honor you, help us to glorify you, now and forever. And we pray through Jesus Christ 
our Lord, amen.