Back to Sermon Index A trustworthy statement worthy to full acceptance...Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. May 4, 2008 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul is writing to his beloved son in the faith, Timothy. Timothy had traveled with Paul and now was left in Ephesus to become the pastor to this thriving new community of faith. A community that faced many challenges, from without and from within. Paul writes largely to give advice and reassurance to Timothy, giving him advice on being a pastor and leader. The letter also contains personal advice to Timothy, including that he take a little wine for his stomach. Paul's letter contains a lot of good things, but one extraordinary thing. Paul shares with Timothy a statement that was worthy of full acceptance and that could be trusted. This statement we believe is one of the earliest summaries of the Christian message as it was preached by the Apostles. You must remember that there was no New Testament yet. Some of Paul's letters and those of Peter and perhaps John had begun to circulate among the Christian churches, but by in large the message was one that was passed by word of mouth. That means that there had to be ways in which people could remember the message easily. We know that there were Christian hymns that were composed that contained the eternal truths of the Gospel message...hymns have been a way of teaching theology in a way people could remember for a long time! And we know that there were some short statements that summarized the message. And here is one that Paul shares with Timothy...he says that it is a trustworthy statement worthy of full acceptance. The statement is trustworthy — it is true in its content and is trustworthy in its origin. It comes from Christ himself. It can be trusted and is authentic. And it is worthy of full acceptance. This has two meanings; that each individual can fully accept the statement, and more than just the statement, but what it says. They can open their hearts and minds and fully embrace the truth of Christ. And it also implies that the whole church is to accept the statement of faith...full acceptance in the individual heart, and full acceptance within the whole church everywhere. So, let's take a moment to look at this trustworthy statement, one of the Church's oldest preaching points. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It is simple and short. But let's take a look at each part. Christ Jesus. The word of truth begins with Christ Jesus. The Christian faith is about Christ. That may seem obvious...why else would it be called Christian, Duh! But over the years it has been easy for folks to kind of lose their way and allow many other things to come into the definition of the faith. Whether it was the involvement of the Christian in the world or some particular piece of Christian doctrine, folks have allowed things to creep into their definitions of the faith. The faith rests on one person, Jesus Christ. It is from him and about him. He himself is the good news we preach and the one in whom we believe. Our faith is in some belief system or list of doctrines. Nor is it in some moral code of conduct. Our faith is in the person of Jesus Christ and the faith can best be described as having a relationship with Jesus. Paul puts the title first, Christ Jesus. I have said this before, but Christ is not Jesus' last name as some would believe. It is the greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah. It means God's chosen savior, God's anointed King and Son. When we say Jesus Christ we really should put a the in between...Jesus THE Christ. In this case the statement begins with Christ or Messiah Jesus. Jesus is the name of an individual...the son of God and the son of Mary. He is not some mythical figure, but a real individual. There is not doubt about his life and his death, it is confirmed in the Scripture and in Roman records of the day. The Christian faith is built on Jesus who is the Christ...Jesus God's savior and King. Jesus' God only begotten, anointed Son. Christ Jesus. Came into the world. Messiah Jesus came into the world. He is not from the world. Jesus is from outside of the world and outside of human experience. He was connected to this world and was born into it, but he also existed long before the world came to be. He who made the universe was born in a manger...and his name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us. John begins his record of Jesus life, ministry and death with a clear understanding that Christ Jesus came into the world...he is the word who was in the beginning...he was with God and he was God and through Him all things came into being, there is nothing that was created apart from him. And that Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He is the one and only Son of God, God incarnate...God among us. Paul later writes to the Colossians and says that Jesus "is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and things on earth, visible and invisible...for God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things..."(Colossians 1:15f). And again in Philippians, Paul shares the lyrics to a very early Christian hymn that says that Jesus, "being in very nature, God, did not think equality with God something to be grasped, so he emptied himself...and became a human being. (Philippians 2: 12f). Christ Jesus, Messiah Jesus, Savior of the world Jesus came into the world, born in a simple manger because there was no room for him in the inn. He came into the world. It is also important that the statement is universal...Jesus came into the world. He did not come just to the Jewish people, not to one region or people or race...but to the whole world. As would be written much later "God so loved the world...that he gave his only begotten son..."(John 3:16). He came for me and he came for you...for everyone. Why did Jesus come? What would his purpose or mission be? How could we summarize his reason for coming into the world? What do you emphasize? His coming to help the oppressed and to lift up the downtrodden? To challenge the religious structures of his day? Each has some truth, but this statement cuts to the heart of Christ's coming...he came to save. To save from sin, to save from death, to bring into a new relationship with God...to bring new life...to save the soul and the whole person. Jesus himself said that he came to seek and to save those who were lost. To bring us from the kingdom of darkness and death to the kingdom of love and light. To save; to rescue, to restore, to bring into a new relationship with God...as a friend. Jesus is the one who saves us. We do not save ourselves. We are not restored to a right relationship with God and others by our own ability or holiness. Nor is it by the number of good works that we accomplish in our lives...somehow tipping the scale to the side of the good by acts of contrition, service and sacrifice. There is no amount of religious fervor or righteousness, there is nothing we can do to save ourselves. Christ Jesus came into the world to save. The terms tense and conjugation means a completed event with ongoing consequences. That we have been completely saved, and are still saved. He has completely saved us and we are still and forever saved. This is not something that we earn or deserve, it is based solely on God's grace and love. Christ Jesus came into the world to save... Sinners. He did not come to save the religious or holy. He did not come to save the rich and famous and powerful. He did not come for the elite or wealthy. He came for the sinner. Who are the sinners? We are. Simply put, we all are sinners. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. All of us have done or thought things that we know we ought not have done. And all of us have not done those things we know the we really should. We are all sinners, fallen short of God's glory. We try and make ourselves feel better by comparing ourselves to others...we are not all that bad! we've never killed anyone! Is that the moral standard we hold ourselves to? I never robbed a bank or murdered someone? Never ran over someone with my car...we try and justify ourselves to ourselves and others. But in truth, we know that we are not perfect. That we are indeed a sinner. And it was for us that Jesus came. For the everyday sinners, the ordinary people. This is a trustworthy statement deserving of full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That was his purpose, his calling, his mission. To bring the love and forgiveness of God to each of us. And in him we have new life...we are saved! The Apostle Paul goes on to apply this to himself, saying that he was chief among sinners...that if Christ Jesus could save him, he could save anyone! He describes himself as a blasphemer, a person who persecuted the church and who was a violent man, responsible for the persecution, imprisonment and execution of Christians. Paul shares his personal story so that Christ might display his unlimited patience and abundant love...so that Paul could serve as an example. Paul is saying that if Christ can save him, he can save anyone! And that believing on Him...really putting our trust on Christ Jesus, we receive eternal life. It is only as we acknowledge that we too are sinners that we can come to understand and experience the new life in Christ. Communion is a reminder of this statement: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners... That we are sinners in need to God's grace and we come seeking his grace. We come, asking Jesus to meet us in this place and in these elements. And here we find new life, eternal life. Come, come to the table of mercy. Back to Sermon Index