Sermon -- 17th Sunday after Pentecost (October 6, 2019)

1 TIMOTHY 1:12-17

CHRIST JESUS CAME TO SAVE SINNERS.

In the name + of Jesus.

     The apostle Paul never forgot his history.  You and I always think of Paul in fond terms—knowing him to be an apostle and the author of about half of the New Testament.  We remember him as a bold preacher.  He established churches in various cities by preaching the Gospel, and he was accused and accosted in most of those cities for preaching the Gospel.  But Paul did not boast of his accomplishments.  Rather, he was continually haunted by his past.  In writing to Timothy, Paul did not forget it or deny it: “Formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” (1 Timothy 1:13)  
     To try to appreciate this, imagine a Muslim professor who faithfully observes his times of prayer and attends his mosque.  He is a smart, moral, decent man who does everything to honor his god.  He is a devout religious man who reads the Quran faithfully and notes that his god does not tolerate those who are rebels.  He takes it upon himself to observe his own jihad, certain he is doing this to honor his god.  He rails against Christians whom he is convinced preach a false god.  He brings accusations against Christians and gets them imprisoned.  He even manages to oversee the assassination of a few pastors.  Now, imagine that you receive a phone call saying that this man wants to speak to you about the Christian faith.  What would you do?
     This pretty much parallels what happened with Paul.  He was a devout son of the covenant, adhering strictly to the Law of Moses.  He was smart, moral, and decent.  Everything Paul did, he was doing for God.  When his fellow Jews began to confess the name of Jesus instead of the Law of Moses, Paul went on the rampage.  He was convinced he was fighting against a lie and wanted to defend God's honor.  He sought to arrest and imprison Christians.  He even oversaw the stoning of Stephen.  But after the Paul got to Damascus, the Lord appeared to Ananias and told him to visit Paul, to preach to him, and to baptize him.  What would you have done?
     If you insist you would have gone, you are only saying it because you know the rest of the story.  And if you still insist you would have gone, are you interested in witnessing to Muslims or Hindus?  How about just your neighbor?  Oh, how we are driven more by fear than by faith!  We are willing to let missionaries preach to people of false religious, but we don't want to take any risks.  We may not even want morally questionable people to sully our place for fear of what they might take from us.  Beware lest it be said, “Jesus Christ may love sinners, but you don't.”
     Thanks be to God, he does not treat us as our sins deserve!  And though the world might have viewed Paul as a lost cause, Jesus did not.  Paul wrote, “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.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16) 
    Christ Jesus came for sinners.  He came to save sinners.  Unfortunately, when we think of sinners, we are probably thinking of other people.  No doubt, we have all seen and heard about people who have proven themselves to be sinners in spectacular and shameful ways.  The world has always seen its share of violent, crooked, wicked people.  But if you only think of others when you think of sinners, then you have forgotten what God's word says.  St. Paul wrote, “There is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:22-23)  All are sinners.  Some fail in openly wicked fashion.  Others hide their guilt and shame.  All have failed.  All are sinners.  Repent.
     But “the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)  If you are a sinner, good.  Jesus Christ came for you.  He came to save you.  If you will not come to Jesus as a sinner, he has nothing for you.  If you think that you are not that bad, Jesus will mean little to you.  You will eventually dismiss him as irrelevant.  If you think you are too far gone or that you are too bad of a sinner, it is not Jesus who has told you that.  Satan would convince you that your guilt is too great for Jesus to take and that your shame is too gross for God to touch.  But that is not true.  Jesus has did not merely have a brush with our sins.  St. Paul wrote: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us.” (Galatians 3:13)  Jesus became our sin in order that we become his righteousness.
     Christ Jesus came to save sinners.  He does not take surveys to figure our who is the chief of sinners or who is not that bad.  He comes to take up the sins of all people—from blatant transgressions to secret shame, even to the likes of blasphemers, persecutors, and insolent opponents.  Maybe you know someone who feels so overwhelmed by guilt that they think there is no hope for them.  Who knows?  Maybe you are still one who struggles badly with some shameful past that you would like to forget.  Either way, this is a saying that is trustworthy, so you can trust it.  It deserves full acceptance, so you don't have to question if it applies to you.  Christ Jesus came to save sinners.  So the question is not whether your sins are too great.  The question is whether you have any.  Then Jesus is for you.  Jesus is for your friend who pretends that everything is okay when his conscience tells him it is not.  Jesus is even for those who are crooked, wicked, and violent.  For, the saying is trustworthy and true.  It is worthy to be accepted and proclaimed: Christ Jesus came to save sinners.
     We will always be filled with grief and concern when we see the wicked acts of violent men.  All sins do damage.  Some sins produce greater destruction and devastation than others.  We wonder why God does not intervene and put a stop to the wickedness of the world.  Why doesn't Jesus appear from heaven as he did to Paul, confront those who do violence, and either convert them or kill them on the spot?  This kind of pondering shows that we are not merciful as our Father in heaven is merciful.  We think that what is best is that we be spared of any threat against us, and we want our Lord to remove the threat—even by striking down the wicked if necessary.  But this is what the Lord says: “Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord GOD, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23)  Therefore, the Lord delays judgment—not because he doesn't care or doesn't know, but because he is patient even with the wicked.  “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.” (1 Timothy 1:15-16)  The Lord does not desire to damn anyone, not when Jesus has come for everyone.  Christ Jesus came to save sinners.
     If the Lord Jesus saved the likes of a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent opponent of the church, what might he do among us?  May God grant us the courage to make his salvation known, regardless of the audience!  For “the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)  If the saying is faithful, then we need to say it.  For no one will be saved if they do not know who their Savior is.  People will be burdened by their sins and petrified of God if they are not told that we have a Redeemer God whose mercy moved him to save sinners.  Some may lash out.  Some may persecute, blaspheme, or become insolent opponents—thinking that they don't have to deal with their sins if they are not made to think of them.  But Jesus has come only for sinners.  If the saying is to be accepted, it must be proclaimed.  And even if you do not proclaim the faith to those who are engaged in jihad, you can proclaim the faith to a friend over coffee.
     The apostle Paul never forgot his past.  Though he could never deny what he once did, he did find endless comfort in what Jesus did for him.  “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” (1 Timothy 1:15)—which means he came to save you.  He came to save all.  Whatever horrible past you may bring with you to Jesus, Jesus will bring you to a glorious future with him.  For Jesus loves sinners, and he saves them.  You can trust in that. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.