1 Timothy 1:12-17 ● June 7, 2026 ● Series: Christ Calls His Servants to be Faithful ● Listen to sermon audio
Note: this is a transcription of the audio: Ancient church artwork can really be interesting because you get an idea of what people saw or depicted their faith centuries ago. You can even look at some of the earliest pictures of Jesus on tile mosaic. They depicted him according to what they were familiar with, many of them coming out of the Roman world depicted a clean shave in Jesus. And you see some of the pictures of the saints. It’s really interesting to see the pictures of those who carried the word before us and quoted Scripture and taught the people. The pictures of the saints sometimes help us to see their understanding of what it is to be a disciple.
Only maybe it’s more of an idealistic picture because when you look at the pictures of many of the church fathers and the saints, you see them with a halo over their head. They have an emaciated look as if they’ve been fasting for weeks on end. And they’re the most pious because they have eyes shining down on a book of Scripture or maybe they’re even recording and writing Scripture. Or they’re making a blessing and the saints are pictured as very clean and holy if not clean shaven. Is this accurate? Well, that’s one side, but today we’re going to look at the other side. What are the depictions that maybe today we don’t like to always show or maybe in the past we didn’t use to depict prominent figures in the church. What is it to be a follower of Christ, one of his servants, whether leading the church or you are a follower of Christ working with the church?
The Apostle Paul writes to one of the churches very dear to him as he writes to a young pastor named Timothy. You see, Paul had been in Ephesus for the longest time out of any congregation he had served. And when he said farewell to them it records how with tears, they said goodbye. Paul warned them false teachers would come. And so, Paul, at one point told Timothy to remain in Ephesus to help the believers there to build them up and instruct them. And here we have near the end of Paul’s life as he writes to this young pastor, his close friend, instruction to help the flock. Because sure enough, false teachings were beginning to appear.
One of those false teachings is that to really be a believer you have to be depicted as absolutely holy and perfect in your life and one who really deserves to be saved by God. This is a false teaching which would always keep creeping up. It is one which Jesus dealt with and which we will still face today. What does it look like to be a follower of Christ? Paul shares with us his story to help us to see.
As he’s writing to Timothy he says, “I thank Jesus Christ our Lord who has given me strength that he considered me trustworthy appointing me to his service.” Now if you just read that point you might start thinking “well maybe Paul is boasting and all the depictions of Paul that we have are true that he was very wise and dedicated and he was trustworthy.” And yet Paul is not intending that. The reason he’s so thankful that God appointed him to service is because he also says, “even though I was once a blasphemer a persecutor and a violent man.” That’s Paul’s past, which if you’ll permit me a moment, we’ll just in brief review. Paul was a Pharisee. He was one who grew up knowing the Scriptures. He knew what God taught in the prophecies. And yet when he saw the Messiah, he despised him. He despised the idea that God would come into the world and be like that man Jesus, so lowly. And Paul did not want that type of a messiah who would suffer. So, he systematically searched out and sought to find Christians. And with permission from the Jewish leaders, he captured them, arrested them, bound them in prison, and sentenced them to death. As a blasphemer he spoke against the Word of God made flesh. As a persecutor he directly fought against Jesus. As a violent man he voted for, and he cast a lot for Christian’s deaths. So, he was a murderer killing innocent Christians. That’s the background of someone like Paul.
He says, “I was shown mercy I acted in ignorance and an unbelief fighting against God. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly along with the faith and hope in Christ Jesus.”
Paul setting up for us what it is to be an Apostle. We heard what Jesus did, right? He goes to the text collector’s booth –the man who was a traitor to the people and often cheated– and he says, “follow me.” He goes to someone like Moses in the Old Testament a man who had fled because he took things in his own hands and killed someone in his own spite. And yet God says to him, “I’m going to use you, Moses.” He does this to the point where Moses is even saying, “Me? Why me?” God takes sinners who don’t deserve to be in his kingdom, and he calls them to be his servants.
And those servants of Christ as they share his message have a message which Paul summarizes amazingly. His next statement is a summary of the gospel that we can take to heart, and I want us to reflect on it today. Paul says “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.” In other words, forget all the false teaching about putting on a pietistic outward-washed life. Forget thinking that by that you’re somehow going to be close to God. He says, “This is a trustworthy saying.” Forget the myths and the teachings that you’re being surrounded with, Ephesians, by those false teachers. This is the gospel. This is something you can make your stand on even to the point (like Paul) of pouring out your life. This deserves full acceptance.
“Christ Jesus came into the world.” That’s the start of it. And that’s Christmas, isn’t it? The teaching that this man who is the chosen one, came not just as a man or a great teacher he came into the world. And what we celebrate in the Christmas season is God in the flesh. He is the prophecy fulfilled of God’s servant coming down from heaven and who from eternity was with the father side. He came down. And it says, “Christ Jesus” because he became fully human. That’s why Paul was once so offended. That’s why the world and people are still offended at the person of Jesus. It is because they say he’s just a man. Yet this deserves full acceptance, “Christ Jesus came into the world… to save sinners.”
Now you might take a step back there and say, “Wait, why did Christ come? Wasn’t he teaching about God’s commands and teaching us how to live a better life?” When Christ taught the commands, he taught them in such a way that cut the heart. Jesus didn’t say do better and God will love you. No, he said, “I tell you if you even hate you are guilty of murder.” Jesus said, “I tell you anyone who lust has committed adultery.” And if you think you’ve kept the commands, he says, “Your righteousness has to be far greater than you think.” In fact, he says, “Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” Christ came to share the law. But he didn’t share the law so that we could keep it and somehow become better than everyone else. No, he came to expose our hearts and our motives. He came to save sinners. Make no mistake. The gospel has this horrifying truth behind it: sinners need saving. This same Christ Jesus who came from heaven will come down again as the judge and with the justice of heaven. He will hold every sinner accountable. So, he came to save them from their own condemnation, from the curse that they deserved, from death and from hell.
“Christ Jesus came down to save sinners,” Paul adds, “of whom I am the worst.” And that’s a creed. That’s a trustworthy saying that we should be able to echo today. This is the gospel: that God came down from heaven. He came to the world. And he came to save sinners. When Jesus said, “It’s not the healthy who need a doctor but the sick. I’ve come to save sinners.” He’s basically saying, “Those who want to know me and to see why I came need to first see themselves. And they need to see themselves in the same way that Paul does here: ‘of whom I am the worst.’”
Some might say here, “Well Paul’s just being humble.” Or maybe Paul’s reflecting on his previous way of life. I mean he was pretty terrible, wasn’t he? He fought against the church. He killed Christians who were innocent. Probably Paul could argue that he was the worst. But Paul doesn’t say he was the worst. He Paul says of whom I am the worst. He recognizes his current condition with the sinful heart that struggles against his new self. He recognizes that he still stands as a sinner of his own accord. He recognizes that Jesus saves him not only from his past sins but from everything which he labels himself. He is saying, “I am the worst.”
Could we say this? Maybe we’d say, “Christ came to save some terrible people. But that’s not why he came for me.” Isn’t it that true or couldn’t we from our own perspective join with Paul in this creed? “Christ came to save sinners of whom I am the worst.” Who knows your sins better than you? Well, God does. Are we not exposed before him who knows our motives and the thoughts of the heart? If you were to have everything that you had thought or everything that you had done and every motive put before everyone else here, how would that make you feel? Imagine if you were singled out and they saw all of the motives and inclinations of your heart and they were to hold you accountable. Wouldn’t you have to join with Paul and wanting this as the gospel? “Christ came to save sinners.”
I don’t have to hide. I don’t have to deny it. I don’t have to worry that I fall short of being part of his kingdom. I have joined Paul in saying, “I am the worst as far as I know.” And why do I say that? Look what Paul says next! “For that very reason I was shown mercy that in me the worst of sinners Christ might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him.” Paul, the man who fought against God who persecuted who blasphemed who murdered who was an enemy of God and who came basically kicking and screaming into the kingdom of God because Christ turned him around, he says, “My life is an example for those who would believe of the mercy of God.” And Paul who says, “I am the worst (and records as he writes to the Romans ‘what a wretched man I am as I struggle against sin!)” He says, “I’m an example for those who would believe after me.” “What God did in my life,” Paul says, “is for you believers to see the immense mercy of God.” God saves sinners like Moses, like Paul, Matthew, name yourself and any other in this world. That’s why Christ came. He came to save sinners as the Christ, in lowliness in the person of Jesus.
Christ came to the worst of sinners so that all those who believe might have that example of grace and receive eternal life. The same Jesus who came to save sinners rose again from the grave. And his salvation is not just his atonement covering our sin. His salvation includes giving us new life and everlasting life with new bodies in his kingdom. We will live with him the eternal immortal invisible God and see the face of God in Christ who came down to save us.
You see the picture that we have? (It’s not like the spotless saints often depicted long ago.) Servants of Christ must begin with this: They are those who start off in grace. They do not serve in his kingdom by what they’ve done or who they are. They are those who continue and who remain in God’s kingdom by grace. And they are those who like the Apostle Paul can now say, “This is a trustworthy saying and this deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” And every one of us echoes with the word of God, “of whom I am the worst.” God did this that he might display his immense patience and mercy and give an example to those who I might reach with this same confession, the same trustworthy saying. This statement is for those who would believe in him. It is for all those who will receive with me and all believers eternal life in Christ Jesus. Amen.
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