To prepare our hearts for worship of Jesus Christ this Christmas, we spent time meditating on the words of 1 Timothy 1:15 – what great gospel rich truth!!!
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Christmas Glad Tidings
1 Timothy 1:15
This morning I would like you to turn with me to a passage that, I trust, will prepare us to truly worship Christ in this holiday season – 1 Timothy 1:12-17. We will read the entire passage, but we will give a laser sharp focus to verse 15.
Verse 15 gives us the whole gospel in a single verse. It is a Mini-Bible. It’s much like John 3:16. This verse sums up for us the message of the gospel.
Verse 15 begins with, “It is a trustworthy statement.” What is a trustworthy statement? Well, he goes on to give it to us – “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” That’s the statement that is trustworthy. So, why is it trustworthy? Why is it worthy of our trust? Why can we bank our entire eternity on this statement? Well, for one it is the message of God who cannot lie. For another, this statement is attested by dozens of fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. If Christ only fulfilled one or two prophecies we might say that it was just a coincidence. But when He fulfills dozens of them, it becomes extremely difficult to explain it all away. This is especially true when He could not possibly fulfill some of them on His own, like being born of a virgin, and being born in Bethlehem. Friends you can trust this gospel! It will never disappoint you in time and in eternity.
We are also told that this statement “deserves full acceptance.” In other words, everyone should accept the truth of this gospel and believe it for themselves. Why? Because this gospel is needed by everyone. And because this gospel is suitable for everyone. The gospel of Christ deserves to be accepted by everyone, without any reservation, without the least doubt, and without any hesitation. It is good news that we can bank our soul on.
Now, we can divide up this short gospel statement into three parts: The Person, The Place, and The Purpose.
1. The Person “Christ Jesus”
Christ
The word “Christ” means “Anointed One.” It is a synonym for “Messiah.” The word refers to someone who is sent on a mission and anointed with the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish that mission. Jesus constantly said that His Father had sent Him.
John 3:17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
John 4:34, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”
John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.”
I did a search and discovered that Jesus said that the Father had sent him 40 times in the gospel of John alone! So, clearly Jesus was sent on a mission by the Father.
Was Jesus endued with power to accomplish that mission? In John 4:34 Jesus said that the Father gave Him the Spirit without measure. Jesus said in Luke 4:18, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.” Jesus was sent on a mission and endued with power to accomplish the mission.
He is the Christ, the promised Messiah who would come and redeem His people. He is the One Israel had been waiting hundreds of years anxiously for. He is the Seed of the Woman, the Seed of Abraham, the Tribe of Judah, the Star ouit of Jacob, the Passover Lamb, the Bronze Serpent, the Chief Corner Stone, the Virgin’s Son, the Prophet like Moses, the Priest like Melchizedek, the Shepherd like David, the King like Solomon, the Creator of Genesis, the Lawgiver of Exodus, all the sacrifices of Leviticus, the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, the Branch of Jeremiah, and the Prince of Daniel.
Jesus
Here the Christ, Messiah, who was to come is given a name – Jesus. The name “Jesus” means “Jehovah is salvation.” The angel told Joseph in Mathew 1:21, “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Then Mathew quotes the ancient prophecy from Isaiah 7:14, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Did you hear that? Did you hear who this Messiah was?
The Savior of sinners would not be the virgin Mary, although a large mass of mankind today still regard her as a Co-Redemptress. This Savior would not be a saint who has passed into heaven. This Savior would not even be a mighty angel, even Michael the archangel! No, He would be Jesus, Jehovah is salvation, Immanuel. This Savior would be none other than the Almighty Jehovah who had voluntarily condescended to take on human flesh! “In the beginning was the Word, and the word was with God, and the word was God… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This one, Christ Jesus, is the only begotten Son of the Father, light of light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father. He is the eternal, unchanging Jehovah, God over all, blessed forever, the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, God manifest in the flesh! The Christmas glad tidings is that God visited this wretched planet and poured out His life-blood for our redemption!
Veiled in flesh, the Godhead see;
Hail, th’incarnate Deity:
Pleased, as man, with men to dwell,
Jesus, our Emmanuel!
Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the new-born King!
2. The Place
Came
Came… that little word tells us a lot. It tells us that He was some place before He entered this world. It tells us that Christ Jesus did not begin to exist as a baby in Bethlehem. It tells us that He already existed prior to the incarnation. And, of course, this is taught everywhere in Scripture. In John 1:3 we are told “all things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.” Later in John 1:15 it says, “John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.” But wait a minute! John was born six months before Jesus. How could Jesus exist before John? Only if He had a pre-existence in Heaven before he was born on earth. In John 17:5 Jesus prays, “Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” Then in John 17:24 He prays, “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.”
The word “came” tells us that the 2nd person of the Godhead, the Logos, went from Heaven to our world, was born to a virgin, on a great mission to save sinners.
Into the world
The truth that God came into our world demonstrates Jesus’ humility and condescension. He had to empty Himself of the independent exercise of His divine attributes. He was willing to give up the divine glory and heavenly worship He had enjoyed. Instead the infinite Jehovah spent nine months as a developing embryo in the womb of a young woman! He took the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. He was born in a stable, and laid in a manger. He was raised in obscurity as a carpenter’s son. He was born like other men, but He was not born in the way of ordinary generation. He was formed by the power of the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, that He might partake of our nature without inheriting our corruption.
To whom did He come? The world. He came to His own creatures who had ruined themselves. He came to those who had transgressed His Law, despised His authority, cast off His yoke, and defaced His image. He came to those who were darkened in their understanding, rebellious in their will, and lustful in their affections. And all of this had resulted in their misery, misery in their life and misery in their death. Their rebellion to God had exposed them to all kinds of misery: wars, deadly diseases, and ultimately death. But that’s not all. It exposed them to miseries in their death. Now they must stand before their Creator, having broken His holy Law, and be exposed to a flood of divine wrath and vengeance. They must now stand before the judgment seat of an incensed, almighty, ever-living God who is his enemy. Jesus came to those who showed utter contempt and hatred for Him. When Jesus came, He knew that these creatures would murder Him, yet He came anyway. He knew they would condemn Him unjustly, mock Him, insult Him, spit upon Him, beat Him, pierce Him with nails and a spear, yet He came anyway. He knew He would be despised and forsaken of men, yet He came. He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.
3. The Purpose
To save
Jesus did not come down from heaven merely to teach us. Nor did He come only to set us an example. Nor did He come only to heal men, nor to cast out demons. Yes, He did all these things, but they were not the primary purpose of His coming. Let’s listen to His own words as to why He came.
Matthew 20:28, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Luke 5:32, “I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
John 3:17, “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”
John 10:10, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
Jesus came to save sinners! He came to save us from the punishment, pollution, and presence of sin. He came to restore us to God’s favor and image, and reconcile us to the Father. The word “save” really means “rescued.” Imagine children trapped in a burning house on the second or third floor. It is impossible for them to escape. Their only hope is that someone might come from the outside to rescue them. That was the situation that this world was in. Jesus didn’t come to “try” to save them. He didn’t come to make salvation possible. He didn’t come to make us “salv
able.” He didn’t come to set us on our feet so that we could save ourselves with His help. He came to save! “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus came to purchase a certain salvation for His people. Jesus didn’t do 50%, and then say, “OK, I’ve done my part, now you’ve got to do your part.” The truth is, Jesus didn’t do 99% and leave 1% for us to do. The Bible tells us that even our response to His work of salvation, our faith and repentance, are gifts of His grace. Salvation from top to bottom is all of grace. It is all the gift of God through Jesus Christ. We do all the sinning – He does all the saving!
Sinners
Jesus didn’t come to save good people. There were none. Neither did He come to save those who perfectly kept His Law. There were none who had done that either. Jesus came to save sinners.
Try to imagine that you had never heard this passage read before. Perhaps we would be listening in breathless silence as it was read. “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save…” We would thrust our heads forward and cup our ears. We would listen fearfully thinking perhaps the person Christ came to save was not someone like us. How comforting it is to hear that word “Sinners”! Those are the people Christ came to save. The text doesn’t say Christ came to save the wealthy, or the learned, or the Jews, or the Chinese, or the Australians, or the righteous. It says He came to save sinners! So, how do you know if you qualify for salvation? Do you feel yourself to be a sinner? Now, if you say, “No, I’m not a sinner. I’m a good person”, then Christ did not come to save you. If you are not a sinner, you have no Savior. A Savior’s only purpose is to save. And only sinners need saving. Therefore, if you know yourself to be a sinner, Christ came for you! Rejoice in these Christmas glad tidings this morning.
Among whom I am foremost of all.
Now, this is an amazing statement. Here we have an apostle of Jesus Christ who had completely dedicated his life to promote the glory of God, and he says that he is the foremost of all sinners! Now, what really makes this interesting is that the longer Paul knew Christ, the lower he descended in his own estimation.
Paul wrote 1 Corinthians about 57 A.D. He wrote Ephesians around 62 A.D. Then he wrote 1 Timothy around 64 A.D. You are probably thinking, so what? Well, it’s important because I’m going to show you Paul’s estimation of himself early in his ministry, then five years later, and then at the end of his ministry.
1 Corinthians 15:9 “I am the least of the apostles”
Ephesians 3:8 “to me, the very least of all saints”
1 Timothy 1:15 “sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.”
Paul did not say, “I was the foremost of all sinners”, but instead he says, “I am the foremost of all.” Did you notice that the longer he knew Christ, the more lowly he became in his own estimation? At the beginning he is the least of the apostles. However, at least he is a dignified and valuable apostle. Then he sees himself as the least of all saints, but at least he is a saint. But at the end of his life he sees himself as the foremost of all sinners! How can this be?
Have you ever been in a room, and the air seems to be quite clear. However, you open the drapes and the sun shines in, and then you see all the dust and other impurities in the air! The same is true spiritually. As we draw nearer and nearer to God and His light and truth pour into our souls, the more of our infirmities and sins we feel, and the more hatred we feel towards them. Ask God to help you grow downward in humility the longer you walk with Him.
Conclusion
Let me conclude by speaking to any here who don’t know Christ. If you are not a Christian, I have some Christmas glad tidings for you! But my message will only be good news if you are a sinner. Christ Jesus came into the world to save “sinners”, not the righteous. Remember that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. If you’re not a sinner, God has nothing to offer you. But if you know that you are a sinner and guilty before God, you are just the kind of person Jesus came to save! Are you a sinner? Do you feel it? Do you know it?
My friend, remember that Christ is the one who saves sinners. You can’t save yourself, not even with Christ’s help. Christ must do all the saving. If you are saved from sin and receive eternal life, Jesus Christ must get all the glory. You didn’t help Him save you by your contribution of faith and repentance. Faith and repentance in Scripture are the gifts of God’s grace. This Christmas, you can receive the greatest gift imaginable. Paul calls it God’s indescribable gift. “The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” John Newton, the author of the well loved hymn, Amazing Grace, said at the end of his life, “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner, and Christ is a great Savior!”
But, for those of you who have come to know Christ, what does this passage have to say to you? Christ was sent by the Father on a mission to save. Likewise, Jesus has sent us on a mission to save. Jesus said in John 20:21, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And 1 John 2:6 says, “the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked.” John Wesley once said, “You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work… It is not your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that society; but to save as many souls as you can; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance.”
Imagine a man sitting by the side of a lake with his family having a picnic, while a neighbor’s child falls into the water and begins to drown. The man is too busy enjoying himself with his family to do anything for the poor drowning child. We would say that the man is a criminal!
Or what would we think of a doctor who won’t take the time to stop to give medicine to people which will save their lives because he needs to study?
Or what would we think of the person who sees a house on fire and knows that children are inside, but he reasons that they are not his children?!
- T. Studd once said, “Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell!”
My friends, Christmas is a great time to seek the salvation of the lost. We have been given Christmas glad tidings. Now, just share that indescribable gift with others! Look and seize any opportunity to point people to Jesus, and bring glory to your Savior!
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