Christmas is a special time for many people and many families. It's full of traditions, special foods, trips, and hopefully some reflection, gratefulness, and good cheer. For many people, this is their favorite time of year, and for children in particular, this is a season that is eagerly looked forward to.
For those who worship Jesus, there's even more to this season than our family traditions and favorite foods. We see this season as an annual reminder of Christ's incarnation, or His earthly birth. We think about Christ's willingness to leave Heaven where He has eternally existed in perfect union with the Father and the Holy Spirit, take on human flesh, and live among us for several decades.
During the cold months, I dream of warmth. I catch myself daydreaming quite often of warmer weather and warmer places. I think about some of my favorite places to visit in Florida. I watch family videos of trips and activities from the summer, and I eagerly wait for the nice weather to return. I struggle to embrace winter because I prefer sunshine and warmth.
Yet Jesus made a choice that is quite different from the kind of choices we often make. He left Heaven to come to earth. Now, I haven't yet been to Heaven. I know some people who are there, and I have read that it's quite a nice place. So nice, in fact, that it's hard for me to imagine leaving Heaven to come here. But that's exactly what Jesus did.
Why did He do that? That's what the Apostle Paul addresses in 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
I. Jesus came to show us mercy
““I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.””
The Apostle Paul is a key figure in the spread of the Gospel throughout this world. The Lord inspired him to plant churches, train leaders, preach, teach, and write 13 books out of the 27 books that comprise the New Testament.
Paul was someone who once hated Jesus, and we're told in Scripture that he had a reputation for terrorizing Christians and approving their death or imprisonment. Then Jesus came to Paul, spoke to Him directly, and helped Paul see something he had been missing. Paul came to realize that Jesus is who He says He is. Jesus is God, Lord, Messiah, and Savior. Paul trusted in Jesus to save him, and he devoted his life to serving Christ from then on.
But Paul still wrestled with the awkward realities of his checkered past. Maybe we're still doing that too. I wrestle with that more often than I wish I did. Sometimes I'll be reminded of something I have said or done in the past that I haven't thought about in a while. And when I start to dwell on it, it causes me to feel shame or embarrassment, even though I know I don't need to be mentally stuck in that place any longer. Do you sometimes do that too?
But what did Jesus do for Paul? Jesus showed Paul mercy. Mercy is Christ's deliverance from judgement. Paul deserved eternal condemnation because of his sin, but Christ didn't condemn Paul because He had taken Paul's sins upon Himself at the cross. Eventually, Paul understood this. He even says in 1 Timothy 1:13, "though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,"
Why did Jesus come into this world? He came to show mercy to people who deserved nothing but judgement. And that includes you and me. Sometimes in life, I'm tempted to complain. Maybe you do the same thing. When I'm complaining, what am I really doing? I'm buying into the false belief that I deserved something better than what I got. I'm telling myself that I didn't deserve to be treated a particular way, overlooked, hurt, insulted, or inconvenienced. I'm reinforcing the belief that I deserved better, and when I do that to myself, my heart can easily become bitter and resentful.
According to Scripture, however, what do I really deserve? I only deserve one thing. From birth I have been a sinner. During the course of my life, I have rebelled against God's laws in every way, sometimes internally and sometimes externally. In fact, we've all done that. So what do we deserve for sinning against a holy God? We deserve judgement. We deserve condemnation. We deserve to live apart from a holy God for all eternity.
But God loves us too much to let that stand. It was always His will to intervene. So Jesus, God the Son, came to this earth to show us mercy. He came to take our condemnation upon Himself, offer forgiveness for our sin, and bless us with mercy instead of judgement.
"For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him." ( John 3:17)
II. Jesus came to save sinners
““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.” ”
Paul elaborates on this further and emphasizes that Jesus came to save "sinners." Then he makes a point to stress that when it comes to sinners, he personally takes the cake.
I had an interesting conversation with a good friend a few years ago. He and I make it a point to get together once a year, and we frequently talk about life and spiritual things.
My friend has experienced some tough things during the course of his life. He's also really into tattoos and piercings. Most visible skin on his body is tattooed or pierced. He doesn't wear 3-piece-suits, and he said to me that he would love to come visit our church some day, but he wouldn't want to embarrass me or put me in an awkward spot because he thinks he might stand out a little bit if he walked into a worship service.
How do you think I responded to that? I assured him that he is always welcome to worship with us and would not stand out in the least, nor would he be the only tattooed and pierced person in our fellowship. That surprised him, but he seemed grateful to know he was welcomed.
The sad reality is that there is an impression in this world that Jesus is only for the people who look perfect on the outside, had the perfect upbringing, haven't made big mistakes in life, and do the best they can to craft the perfect image. But that's not the case at all. Jesus didn't come to this earth to save those who didn't need saving. He came to save humanity because we're all in the same boat. We're all sinners who are often doing our best to disguise that fact.
Paul used to think of himself as a pretty good guy. That's how I used to think of myself as well. Maybe that's how you once thought of yourself too, or maybe you still do. But Jesus didn't come to save "good people" because there weren't any other than Him. He's the only one who is without sin, yet He came to this earth to save sinners, and I'm so glad that He did. I'm so glad He's willing to look at a man like me who was sinful from birth, welcome me into His family, give me His name, make me someone new, and remind me that I don't need to go back to the kind of life I was living before. In Christ, I'm finally free, and you can be too if that freedom isn't something you've experienced yet.
III. Jesus came to offer eternal life to all who will believe in Him
““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. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” ”
I love how Paul concludes this paragraph. While thinking about where he had been, what he had been through, and what Jesus had done for him, Paul makes a statement with broad application. He tells us that Jesus exhibits perfect patience, and that Paul was shown mercy as an example to those who will also believe in Jesus and receive eternal life. There is no greater gift than that.
A while back, a man asked if he could make an appointment to speak with me about some things he was really struggling with, and feeling weighed down by. A big part of the burden he was feeling had to do with the crushing weight of all the things he feels he "needs" to be doing or "needs" to accomplish. So I asked him a question that I want to pose to us as well.
"What would your life look like if instead of worrying about everything you feel you need to do, you paused for a moment to rest in what Christ has already done for you?"
With that question in our minds, and in light of what this passage states, let's rest in the fact that Jesus grants eternal life. Let's rest in the fact that we don't have to work for that gift. We don't have to earn that gift. We don't have to spend our lives crushed under the mental burden of trying to obtain that gift. God's word reminds us that Jesus gives us the gift of His peace and rest when we believe in Him.
That means that if I trust in Him, I'm forgiven of my sin and I'm freely granted salvation. I don't have to work for it because Jesus already did the work for me. He lived the perfect life that I didn't have the capability to live. He died on the cross to pay the debt my sin incurred because I couldn't pay for it. He rose from the grave to defeat sin's power in my life.
And now, He's looking at us and asking, "Do you believe in me? Will you entrust your life and your future to me? Will you welcome me to be your God and Lord of your life?" And if our answer to Him is a sincere, "YES," we will be granted the gift of forgiveness and life everlasting.
Paul was a thankful man because of Jesus. I'm thankful too. He's changed my life. He's made me a new man. He's given me hope, and He's blessed me with a family AND a church family to experience it all with.
What are we celebrating today? What are we grateful for this season? We're grateful for Jesus who has shown His mercy to sinners. We're grateful for Jesus who graciously shares the gift of eternal life with all who will believe in Him.
And just as Paul proclaimed at the end of this passage, let's also join in proclaiming, "To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen."
© John Stange, 2021
