Pentecost 17 [1 Timothy 1:12-17] (15 September 2013)

This sermon was preached at St. John's Lutheran, Karoonda (9 am).  

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. That’s not what we expect. Christ Jesus came into the world to condemn sinners. That’s what we expect. Christ Jesus came into the world to destroy sinners. That’s what we deserve. Christ Jesus came into the world to punish sinners. That’s what we think. Christ Jesus came into the world to teach sinners how no longer to be sinners, by being nice to one another. That’s how we act. But this is not what the text says: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Yes,

Christ Jesus Saves Sinners.

Transition: Which leaves us only one thing to do: be a sinner.

So don't waste time denying your sins. Which is so easy to do when there are so many other people out there who, you're very sure, are much worse sinners than you are. Why, if you would just list all those sins, you'd have no time left for your own.

 And yet strangely, there's another way to keep the focus off of you. And that's not in calling a sin a sin, but in saying that it's wrong to call anything a sin because it excludes people. Paul cuts through all that by the way by speaking of both the sins of others (1 Timothy 1:9-10 "the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine") but especially his own sin (which we'll get to). But in doing that he's teaching you not to exclude yourself from that truth that you are a sinner.

That actually helps expose the problem about whether or not the Church excludes people because they're not “good enough”.  That's the complaint, isn't it?  Is that what the Church does? Does the Church exclude? Well not really because in the face of God's Word, you exclude yourself.

But you can do this by being here or not being here if you have no death, no devil, no sinful flesh to trouble you. The Church doesn't exclude sinners, sinners exclude themselves. The Church doesn't exclude sinners because it's only for the “good people”, but the Church is sinners, and therefore “good people” who aren't sinners, who don't consider themselves sinners, will find no purpose to the Church - (they'll still have bad consciences, but won't know where to turn because the problem lies undiagnosed, even if you have a sense of it, much like going to a doctor lays bare the disease for which you feel a few symptoms). You need God's Law to lay bare your sin. You need that diagnosis regularly.

Paul didn't waste time denying his sins. You'd think he'd try and play it smart and hide his past, to not talk about it. He was controversial – he had violently persecuted the Church. This was a well known fact. So if he showed up at a church, it's like today if someone who is a cross between Richard Dawkins and Osama Bin Laden showed up to tell of his conversion and to speak the Gospel. But Paul doesn't spend any time denying what he had done in the past, in fact he mentions it multiple times, as we hear in the book of Acts.

This is not because he wanted to show how far he had come, how much he had improved, but as a sign of the shocking and surprising grace of God. That's why verse 12 is so surprising, because he says, “I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service”, and when he says that Christ judged him faithful, that doesn't mean that Jesus saw something special in this persecutor of the Church, it means that Christ led him into the Christian faith, that Christ made faith happen for Paul. That Paul acted in ignorance, as he says, isn't a sign that he deserved the mercy of Christ, but his ignorance and unbelief only show that Christ's mercy is the only thing that could bring him to faith.

So to be a sinner is to know the depths of your sin. And only God's Word can show this. And so Paul writes, “though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.” so that he can then define himself as sinner: “of whom I am foremost”. He doesn't say he was, he says “I am”. He puts himself in that list, at number 1!

To know the depths of your sin is to hear what Scripture says, as Paul defines sin according to the 10 commandments and defines it as against sound doctrine earlier in chapter 1. To know the depths of your sin is to do the same. That means that when you allow God to corner you according to his Word, to leave you without excuse, is to confess “I a poor helpless sinner, confess to you all my sins, and repent of all the evil I have done. I have deeply displeased you, and deserve your punishment in time and in eternity.”. And it is to confess specific sins that you know and feel in your heart to your pastor as well. That's letting the Scriptures define “sinner” for you in the right way, so that you can say

Transition: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (v 15). “Hey, I’m a sinner! Jesus came to save me!” Yes! And save you he does: his agony in your place, his death for your life. His blood like a flood washing away your sin, your fear of death, your condemnation. All of this comes to you through his cross.

And guess what, that is the Gospel. Paul doesn't say, “Christ Jesus came into the world to show you how to build God's kingdom” (God himself builds God's kingdom – by saving sinners! (as we confess in the 2^nd petition of the Lord's Prayer: God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us his Holy Spirit, so that by his grace we believe his holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity). 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners', that is the Gospel.

Paul doesn't say “Christ Jesus came into the world to inspire you to be a better person.” In face, the more mature a Christian is, the more they discover just how bad they are and how much they need to trust in Christ's cross for all righteousness, for all forgiveness! 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners', that is the Gospel.

Paul says this is the example, but really, prototype, pattern of how everyone who is saved is saved for eternal life. “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.”. Christ's mercy alone saves. Paul won't boast of any cooperation, he'll only point to the sin that shows God saves without any help, creating faith out of nothing. And yes you are saved for eternal life – not for this world only, as Paul sits in jail and counts everything a loss except for knowing the mercy of Christ.

And even more surprising, is that the depths of the Gospel (for which Paul can only praise the Lord) are known only by sinners. To attack God's Law is to waste time denying that you are a sinner is to also attack the Gospel. It's like filling in a hole, the only way you know how much you need to fill in a hole is to look at the hole and see how deep it really is. So to deny any sin is deny the depth of sin, how big the hole is, and that has to deny the height of the Gospel, to deny the riches of God's grace which he used to pay the cost for your sin by the cross. If sin is little, then you can say "I'll fill in this hole myself."  If sin is big, you need a real big Savior.

The confession of sins not only prepares you for Absolution, but for the whole divine service (preaching – preaching Christ to sinners, the Lord's Supper – because Jesus said “this is my body” and “for the forgiveness of sins”, and to praise “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” and thank “I thank him who has given me strength”. And you're not worse than Paul, because that's what he said, he said he's the foremost. And he received these gifts of God too. Jesus is merciful, his grace overflows to poor, miserable sinners.

And the depth of the Gospel results in a good conscience. That's why Paul surrounds our reading for today by talking about the conscience. Paul says, “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.” and “holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith” and these verses surround today's reading that describes Paul's sin and the solution of Christ's mercy alone.

Conclusion: And that's why Paul ends this section as he began it – with praise over what God has done. It's exactly because this is such a surprise that this is what Christ does to sinners by the preaching of his cross – not what they deserve, but what by his own mercy they get. By Christ's mercy you get his forgiveness of sins, his eternal life, and his complete and full salvation. When a gift is that undeserved, such praise is the only response “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and praise forever and ever. Amen.”