Christ Jesus came into the world
Notes
Transcript
This morning I would like to take a few moments of your time and reflect from God’s precious Word, on the message of the play and the songs that you just heard. The highlight of the play was Jesus Christ. He is the center of everything, and certainly Jesus is the center of Christmas. And in I Timothy 1:15 we have encapsulated for us the very heart of Christmas because it puts at its center Christ Jesus the Lord.
15 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.
You could sum up Christmas in this one great statement by the Apostle Paul- Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
You see the center of the story- the beginning, middle, and end really- Christ Jesus. We wouldn’t have Christmas without Christ Jesus. The God-Man, the incarnation. He is both Christ - Messiah, divine anointed Son of God. And He is Jesus- son of man, born of the virgin Marry, a descendent of King David, heir to the throne of Israel.
This fully divine and fully human, only one, Christ Jesus- He came into the world. That is a peculiar statement. He wasn’t merely born into this world like you and like I. He came into this world from another world. He came to us, leaving behind the glory and splendor of Heaven. The miracle of Christmas, of the incarnation is this- God entered into our world- Jesus, the one fully in the form of God, humbled Himself, by taking upon Himself the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And oh what a wonder that God Himself, in the person of Jesus entered into our world- Jesus came into the world. And why did Jesus do it? Why did he leave heaven and enter our world?
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is the good news of Christmas. This is what Christmas time is for. It is a time for preaching, for bearing witness, for proclaiming, for evangelizing the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. What does Paul mean exactly? Well, if we back up just a few verses we will see how Paul applies this message of the gospel to himself personally.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
Now, I would wager a guess that not one of us can fully identify with the Apostle Paul here in this statement. For one thing none us are called to be an apostle, let alone called to be an Apostle Paul. Who can live up to that kind of calling. But, if you are a child of God this morning you can identify with the idea of offering up to God heart felt thanksgiving because God has appointed you, in one sense or another, into His service. God has called you by name, He has made you his own child, and He has appointed you to serve Him with your lives. And this is an incredible thing. Why is this so incredible?
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
This we can certainly identify with- before Christ we were blasphemers, persecutors, and insolent opponents of God. Maybe there is some one here this morning that is not a child of God. You still are a blasphemer- you are careless with the holy name of God and you take it in vain- it doesn’t mean all that much to you. You are a persecutor- you don’t care for the things of God and have no time for people who worship Him. You are an insolent opponent- you may even be in opposition to God- to his standards of righteousness- to his authority over you. We were all this way at one time in our lives. Because we were all sinners. We were all born with a lawless heart, and we were enemies of God.
And we must understand this- Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners. Jesus wants to save you, but you cannot be saved without first realizing that you are a sinner. If you don’t think of yourself as a sinner, then why would you need Jesus to save you? Save you from what? O, dear one, please think long and hard about this- the Bible says in I John- if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us! Romans tells us that “ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” “There is NONE righteous no not one- NO ONE does good, not even on.”
In fact if you don’t accept this then the rest of verse 13 makes no sense. Look at the second half of the verse.
“But, I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief.”
Paul says, I was once one way, I was once a sinner, BUT then I received mercy. What is mercy? Mercy is God’s pity. Mercy is God feeling sorry for us even when we don’t deserve it. Mercy was when God looked at Paul, who was first Saul, the great persecutor of the church. God looked at Paul- a blasphemer, a persecutor, an opponent. And even though Paul deserved nothing of the kind, God pitied him, God felt sorry for him- God showed him mercy. You can only experience the wonder of God’s mercy if you first think of yourself as one who needs to be pitted. The one who does not see himself or herself as a sinner has nothing to do with God’s mercy- what a terrible thing!
That is the wonder of Christmas- Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. O, friend- God this very hour is looking on you with mercy. He has recorded for you, right here in His Word a chance for you to be saved from your sin. You don’t deserve it, neither do I, none of us do. But God wants you to receive his mercy! How? How can you receive God’s mercy?
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Here is how. It is all by God’s grace! What is grace? Grace is God’s unmerited favor, or His undeserved kindness. God is a god of unimaginable grace! When God passed before Moses in the OT. The Lord proclaimed this about Himself
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
God is a god of wondrous grace and amazing mercy. But, he is also a God of perfect justice who will by no means clear the guilty! So how do I experience God’s mercy and grace instead of God’s justice and wrath? Paul tells us here- look at the end of the verse. “The grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” You receive it, and not just receive it, it overflows, it spills over, it over-abounds unto you- it’s more than you need- through faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. That’s how!
15 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.
Here is God’s mercy, here is God’s grace- Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners! Don’t stop there- go one to verse 16!
16 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.
Paul is telling you something very important. Paul is saying that his life is an example for you today. How? Paul says this, “I received mercy.” Why? For his reason, that in me, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience. What a wonderful God is our god! God looked at you in mercy, he took pity on you in your sins. By His grace He sent his Son- and Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And now God is exercising patience. Perfect patience- for your sake. He is longsuffering. He doesn’t give us what we deserve the instant we deserve it. He exercises patience.
Why? As an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. God is exercising perfect patience so that you might be saved from your sins. How do you do that? You believe in Christ Jesus for eternal life. You must turn away from your sin. You must say, I’m tired of being a blasphemer, a persecutor, an opponent of God. And I am so very sorry for offending a holy God of perfect justice who will by no means clear the guilty. I don’t want to live for myself or my sin any longer. I want to be saved!
Repent and turn to Christ. Believe in Him for eternal life. Believe that Christ Jesus is the only Son of God, that entered our world as the Immanuel, God with us, the God-man. Believe that Christ Jesus died for your sins on the cross. He paid the penalty you deserved for your sins. God didn’t just sweep your guilt under a rug- He is a God that will by no means clear the guilty! Jesus Christ had to pay for your guilt on the cross. He shed His blood to satisfy God’s justice for your sins! Do you believe in Him? Will you accept his free gift of salvation for your sins?
Believe that He was buried and on the third day rose again from the grave. And believe ONLY in Christ Jesus to save you from your sins. Him and Him alone. You are saved by Christ alone, through faith alone, by grace alone. Do you believe that? You can trust Christ today! You can be saved from your sins. You can experience the mercy and grace of God. He is patient so that you can repent and believe. Turn to Christ before it is too late. God’s patience will not last forever.
And if you are child of God, you have trusted in Christ Jesus to save you from your sins- what should the attitude of your heart be as you go out of this place today? What should your heart attitude be as you celebrate Christmas this year with your family and loved ones? The same as the Apostle Paul’s. As once who has received mercy, as one who has experienced grace, as once who was afforded perfect patience so that you might believe. What does the attitude of the heart look like for a child of God who has recieved grace upon grace?
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.