That is part of our text for today in First Timothy
chapter 1. I invite you to open your Bible there
to First Timothy. It is right next to the book
of Paul. Salvation is personal, but it is not
private. God has called us to an individual salvation,
but not an autonomous salvation. Now that doesn't
set very well frankly with American Christianity
as it has deteriorated. Our culture exalts self
-reliance, a do your own thing, I'm my own man
kind of an idea. And that has crept into the
church where we think that somehow we don't really
need other people and we are self -sufficient.
And yet God has called us to belong. He has called
us to belong to His family and to its present
expression in the world, the local church. And
yet the importance of the church is minimized
by multitudes of evangelicals. Kent Hughes, in
his book, The Disciplines of a Godly Man, observes
this. We must wholeheartedly agree that without
a saving relationship with Jesus Christ all is
lost. But we must not mistakenly reason that
one's relationship with Christ minimizes the
importance of his church. Yet this is precisely
what multitudes of evangelicals assume and act
out. He goes on to say church attendance is infected
with a malaise of conditional loyalty which has
produced an army of ecclesiastical hitchhikers.
The hitchhiker's thumb says, you buy the car,
pay for the repairs and upkeep and insurance,
fill the car with gas and I'll ride with you.
But if you have an accident, you're on your own
and I'll probably sue. So it is with the credo
of many of today's church attenders. You go to
the meetings and serve on the boards and committees.
You grapple with the issues and do the work of
the church and pay the bills, and I'll come along
for the ride. But if these things do not suit
me, I'll criticize and complain and probably
bail out. My thumb is always out for a better
ride." Then he says, this putative loyalty is
fueled by a consumer ethos, a McChristian mentality.
which picks and chooses here and there to fill
one's ecclesiastical shopping list. There are
hitchhikers who attend one church for the preaching
and send their children to a second church for
its dynamic youth program and go to a third church,
third church's small group. Church hitchhikers
have a telling vocabulary, I go to or I attend,
but never I belong to or I'm a member of. Polster
George Barnes supports this saying, the average
adult thinks that belonging to a church is good
for other people, but represents unnecessary
bondage and baggage for himself. So today at
the end of the 20th century we have a phenomenon
unthinkable in any other century, churchless
Christians. The importance of the local church,
and yet just joining any church is not the answer
either. Because many so -called churches fail
the test of a genuine church, which is, as we
have seen in the first chapter of 1st Timothy,
staying on course with the message of the gospel.
There are many so -called churches that have
lost that message. They have lost their distinctiveness.
They have lost their soul. They have forgotten
the goal of ministry is changed lives and that
changed lives takes place through sound teaching
of the Word of God. They have succumbed to strange
doctrines, false theologies that have led them
astray. And in doing so, they have gone astray.
They have lost the way. How can a church stay
on course? That's the question we're looking
at in 1 Timothy 1. How does a church stay on
course? Our text today takes us another step
beyond last week's response. and shows that people
composing a church stay on track by having a
right relationship with the Captain. I'd like
for you to begin reading with me in verse 12.
I'll read you follow along. 1st Timothy 1 verse
12. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened
me because he considered me faithful putting
me into service even though I was formerly a
blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.
And yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly
in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was more
than abundant with the faith and love which are
found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement
deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came
into the world to save sinners, among whom I
am foremost of all. And yet for this reason I
found mercy. In order that in me as the foremost,
Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience
as an example for those who would believe in
Him for eternal life. Now to the King, eternal,
immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and
glory forever and ever. Amen. Jesus Christ is
the captain of our salvation. to pick up a phrase
from Hebrews 2 10 in the authorized version.
Jesus Christ is the captain of our salvation
and the head of His church. A vital relationship
with Jesus Christ keeps one on course spiritually.
How does a church stay on course? By having a
vital relationship with Jesus Christ. How does
an individual Christian stay on course in his
life? By maintaining a vital relationship with
Jesus Christ. As we see in our text, a vital
relationship involves three things. First of
all, embracing His saving grace. Secondly, employing
His serving strength. And finally, enjoying His
sovereign rule. Let's talk for a moment about
embracing Christ's saving grace because it is
that grace that deals with our sins and brings
to us the joy of forgiveness. When we talk about
a vital relationship with someone we need to
remember that a relationship begins with an introduction.
It begins with a personal introduction that establishes
a connection and then after that relationship
develops. The Apostle Paul tells us about his
experience with the saving grace of God. To show
us how great God's grace was, he first goes back
and gives us an examination of his own record
in verse 13. It is clear that originally he saw
Jesus Christ as a false messiah. He saw the church
as his enemy. Now, to be sure, Paul was a religious
man. And outwardly he was righteous according
to all the external demands of the Jewish religion.
He was brilliant. He was educated. But there
was one other thing about Paul that mattered
above all of these. He was lost and bound for
hell. He characterizes his activities before
he knew Jesus Christ with three words. He says,
first of all, I was formerly a blasphemer. One
who speaks slander against another or against
God. And of course he is talking about the way
that he denied the deity of Jesus Christ in those
days before he met Christ on the road to Damascus.
When Jesus appeared to him in that bright shining
light and Paul was thrown to his knees. and blinded
by that light for a period of time. Before that
day Paul looked upon Jesus Christ as a false
God, a false Messiah and blasphemed His name.
He says, before I knew Christ I was a persecutor.
Keep your finger here but go back to Acts chapter
8 with me and just look at one of the statements
regarding Paul. in these days before he came
to the Savior. Acts chapter 8 beginning in verse
1 you remember he was called to Saul in those
days. It says Acts 8 verse 1 and Saul was in
hearty agreement with putting Stephen to death
and on that day a great persecution arose against
the church in Jerusalem and they were all scattered.
throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except
the apostles and some devout men buried Stephen
and made loud lamentation over him but Saul began
ravaging the church entering house after house
and dragging off men and women. He would put
them in prison. The language pictures Saul here
like an angry beast who would drag people off
to prison. Paul says I was a persecutor. He persecuted
the Church of Jesus Christ. And in doing so he
also persecuted whom? Jesus himself. For when
Jesus appeared to him he said, Saul, why are
you persecuting me? The third word that he uses
to describe what he was like before he came to
Christ was that he was a violent aggressor. The
idea in this word is that Saul, as he was called
then, purposely humiliated and hurt people. He
was a sadist in one sense. He was committed to
indignity and insult against those who named
Christ, and was not embarrassed to commit atrocities
against Christians. The Apostle Paul was as bad
as anybody that he listed in verses 9, 10, and
11 early in our chapter. He puts himself in the
same category as these people who broke the law.
He was as bad as anyone else. In fact, he saw
himself as so bad that he says, I was the foremost.
I was the head of the list. I was the chief.
of sinners. We are not going to excuse that this
morning as hyperbole and some sort of false humility.
What Paul said he meant and if you and I had
lived in that day we would understand why the
Christians at first were so terrified to accept
Paul because of his reputation as a very evil
man. who was hostile to Christianity in the name
of religion. In 1 Corinthians 15, 9 he says,
I am the least of the apostles. Not fit to be
called an apostle. That's how he saw himself.
In Ephesians 3, 8 he says, I am the very least
of the saints. And so we examine Paul's past
and we see why he is so humbled at the grace
of God. He had blasphemed the name of Jesus Christ,
denying that He was God. He had persecuted the
Church of Christ and persecuted Jesus Himself
in doing so. And He was a violent, sadistic aggressor
against those who named Christ. That's why He
and we must marvel at the extension of God's
mercy and grace to Him. In verse 14, He says,
more than abundant with the faith and love which
are found in Christ Jesus. In verse 13 he says,
yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly
in unbelief. Two words here show us the extension
of God's kindness toward Paul. When God gave
him mercy, he did not give to Paul what he deserved.
And when God gave him grace, he gave him what
he did not deserve. The result was that there
was tremendous life change in Paul. Whereas before
he was ignorant and unbelief, now God gives to
him faith that finds its source in Jesus Christ.
Whereas before he was a violent persecutor, an
enemy of the church, now God fills him with love
that springs from Jesus Christ. There is life
change in Paul because of the work of God's grace
as he experienced forgiveness of his sins. You
say, well how can God possibly forgive someone
like this? We ask today, how can God forgive
someone who is so evil, who is so wicked, who
commits heinous crimes against humanity? How
can God ever forgive someone as bad as that?
The answer is that God forgives because of what
He did for us in Jesus Christ. This is something
you can count on, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save. sinners. All kinds of sinners.
Christ Jesus came into the world. That's the
incarnation. That He, the eternal Son of God,
came into the world and joined Himself to human
flesh, being born in Bethlehem as Jesus. And
He grew and lived a perfect sinless life. but
then went to the cross and died a horrible death
in order that he might save sinners. Jesus Christ
did not come into the world merely to set a good
example for us to follow. He did not come into
the world to show us how loving and compassionate
God is. He did that, but He came for more. He
came in order to offer Himself as a substitute
on the cross for our sins. To lay down His life
in our place. So that all of God's wrath that
we deserve might be poured out upon Him. And
then, God can forgive us. You see, He came for
Paul. To save Paul, He came for you too. I have
in my hands a testimony that is from a gentleman
who attended our church for a while. He is now
back in Korea, his homeland. His name is Doo
Shik Kim. And this was the testimony that he
shared a while back at his baptism. He says,
I was an ordinary non -Christian who was self
-made. I valued and took pride in hard work.
But as I got older, I found my hard work was
not enough to resolve unexpected problems. I
was angry at the world for difficult situations
when I tried to do my best and live righteously.
On the other hand, in order to solve my pain
and hard situations with my limited ability,
I sought help from neighbors, coworkers, friends,
and those with power. By relying on them, I solved
my problems. At that time, I felt I really didn't
want to solve my problems this way, but I felt
helpless because all the world operated this
way. As I aged, the matters got harder and harder.
I compromised with the world and relied on earthly
thinking more and more. However, I justified
myself thinking I was a good person. I still
felt I was a man without fault and with superb
character. Sometimes I staggered home late as
an ugly drunkard after drinking with my friends.
However the next morning I put on my suit and
went to school to lecture pretending to be a
perfect professor. Sometimes at home as husband
and head of my family I was full of contradictions.
Yet outside I acted as someone without any problems.
I often justified myself saying everyone else
behaves the same as me in this world. About five
years ago I was in several difficult situations
and greatly discouraged and I began to seek for
change in my life. I could have continued to
live as I had lived but deep down I really did
not want to and I was seeking a different way
of life. To sort out my problems and seek the
answer I started attending church. This was in
Korea. I was influenced by my brother -in -law
who was a seminary student and my wife who was
a Christian. One thing I experienced while attending
church was that I examined my heart, asked for
forgiveness, and prayed. I felt my heart was
cleansed and filled with something, but in reality,
this was isolated to Sunday only. While this
was going on, I had a fortunate chance to come
to the United States as an exchange professor
at the expense of my country. While here, with
the help of Christian friends, I attended an
American church, Grace Church Roosevelt, and
was able to make American friends. Especially
through Bible study in the Korean small church
and Bible study with an American friend, I began
to see my true self as a church attender. I called
myself a Christian just because I attended church,
but I realized in reality my thought and actions
were not any different than non -Christians.
Someone asked me, if you think you're a Christian,
are you saved? If you're saved, how do you know
for sure that you're saved? I was unexpectedly
stunned with these questions. I could not understand
why I was so reluctant to answer these simple
questions. One day during Bible study in small
church the concepts of God's way of biblical
principles and redemption through the blood of
Jesus Christ came to my heart and I truly understood
for the first time. That afternoon I questioned
in my heart If worldly knowledge and methods
which I relied on were the best and only way,
why was I still a person full of conflicts, troubles,
and pain? On the other hand, I thought if I lived
my life according to God's principles in the
Bible, I could overcome my problems. While having
these thoughts, I came to believe that my sins
are forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ based
on scriptures. And he goes on to talk about the
change. in his life because of that experience
with God's grace. That's why Jesus came into
the world to save sinners. Whether white or yellow
or red or black of whatever ethnic background
however deeply one has sinned or if one be a
professor in a university who outwardly has everything
together but inwardly is eaten away. Jesus Christ
came into the world to save sinners of all kinds.
Paul's conversion is an example of the depths
of God's grace. He says in verse 16, for this
reason I found mercy that in me as the foremost
Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience
as an example. If you think that you have sinned
too much, that you have blasphemed too much,
that you've been too evil of a person, I point
you to the Apostle Paul as an example of the
patience of Jesus Christ and that today he is
able to extend his grace to you if you will repent
of your sin and believe that he died on that
cross for you and if you will receive him in
your heart as your Lord and Savior. You can experience
today the cleansing and the life change that
His grace brings. Will you trust the Captain?
He is the Captain of our salvation. Will you
trust Him? You see a vital relationship with
Jesus Christ begins with embracing His grace,
but it doesn't stop there. That's sort of the
introduction. It has to go beyond that. And so
we see, secondly, that Paul says in verse 12
that a vital relationship with Jesus Christ involves
employing His serving strength. And whereas His
grace deals with our sins, His strength deals
with our weaknesses. If salvation does not result
in our serving Jesus Christ, we have to question
the genuineness of our experience with Him. Because,
you see, receiving Christ means surrendering
to His will and to His Lordship in our lives.
Yet there are some who, having trusted Christ,
respond to opportunities to serve Him by saying,
as Moses did, well, who am I? I don't have training.
I've never done anything like that before. I
can't get up in front of people. I can't talk
that way. I can't do that. And these excuses
come to our minds. And yet it is these very weaknesses
in our lives that can become the demonstration
of God's strength in us. His grace strengthens
us so that we are made sufficient for whatever
He asks us to do. God is not looking for great
ability. He is looking for reliability. The Apostle
Paul said, he found me faithful and so he shoved
me into ministry. Jesus Christ is calling every
one of us who knows Him as Lord and Savior to
serve Him. There are no exceptions to that. Paul
said, by the grace of God I am what I am and
His grace toward me did not prove vain. But I
labored more than all of them, yet not I, but
the grace of God with me." May the grace of God
never be in vain in the life of any of us. You
see, there is a place where you can and should
serve Jesus Christ. Last Sunday, Our director
of children's ministry made an announcement about
having to reduce the scope of our children's
ministries because we could not find people who
would willingly serve in that area. And it was
a shocking announcement that there were some
classes not going to be held, that certain parts
of Oahu were not going to take place because
we simply did not have people who would serve.
I'm happy to say that after that announcement
that she made, more than 20 people came up and
said, where can I serve? So that today, our children's
ministry is fully staffed and functioning. And
I think the same is true with Awana, which begins
this week. Now I thank God for that response,
but why do we have to get to a crisis before
we say I'll serve? That isn't God's plan. Our
service to Jesus Christ needs to be willingly.
It needs to be joyful and upfront and we're standing
on the line saying, what can I do? What can I
do? Instead of getting into a position where
we feel like we're being forced, of course, because
of a crisis. So if today you have weaknesses
and those weaknesses are causing you to hold
back and say, well, I can't do it. Oh, I'd like
to, but I have these problems. that I want you
to know if you're going to have a vital relationship
with Jesus Christ, you need to go beyond embracing
His grace to the point that you are also enjoying
His strength. You are experiencing His strength
in those weaknesses in your life so that you're
serving the Lord. The Apostle Paul said, I can
do all things through Christ who strengthens
me. Will you trust the captain? Will you trust
him for the strength that you need to work in
that area, to be that usher, to sing in the choir,
to do whatever it is that God's calling you to
do? Please don't allow yourself to be like those
Christians that Kent Hughes talked about earlier
as I quoted him who just kind of float around
and never plug in. That is not God's plan. However
common it may be in America today, it is not
God's plan. It's not biblical Christianity. If
a church is going to stay on course, it must
stay on course by having a vital relationship
with Jesus Christ. And a church will have a vital
relationship with Jesus Christ so long as those
who know Christ in it are employing His strength
in serving Him. And then finally the Apostle
Paul tells us that if we're going to have a vital
relationship with Jesus Christ, it means enjoying
His sovereign rule. By the way, when we talk
about serving Christ, today out underneath the
big top, you're going to have the opportunity
to see 20 or 30 or 40 ministries. You will be
overwhelmed with opportunities. Don't think you
have to do everything, but find something. Find
some table out there that's got some information
that interests you and decide, I'm going to do
this, God helping me, God strengthening me in
my weaknesses, I'm going to do this. And get
involved. And employ His strength. But then we
must enjoy His sovereign rule. If His strength
deals with our weaknesses, His sovereign rule
deals with our questions. If you and I are going
to have a vital relationship with Jesus Christ,
something has to happen to the questions that
arise in our minds. And we all get them occasionally.
We are disappointed. An opportunity comes and
we don't know what to do. We have a question.
A tragedy befalls us. Our family begins to fall
apart. We had prayed and the answer didn't come
the way we had prayed questions come to mind
and Those questions eventually if they're not
settled can eat away at a vital relationship
with Christ So how do we maintain that vital
relationship it is by enjoying his sovereign
rule in his statement of praise in verse 17 the
Apostle makes three statements of Doxology he
praises God first of all that he is the king
He praises God for His kingly rule in the world.
If He is God, He is in control. Second, He praises
Him for His divine nature. He says of God that
He is eternal. He always has been, always will
be. Nothing takes Him by surprise. He's eternal
and He's immortal. The idea means imperishable.
God never declines. We've been enjoying the fruit
of the harvest this year. Going to the farmer's
market and bringing it home, we've had tomatoes
and pears, you know, all that good stuff that
you have this time of year. We put it in the
basement where it's cool, but after a while,
what happens? It begins to perish. It declines
in its potency and its taste. What he tells us
here is that the king never declines at all.
He's imperishable. He's immortal. What he was
in the beginning, he is now and he always will
be. And then he praises God that he is invisible.
That he is a spirit. He is not like us. He is
real, but he is spirit. He is invisible. And
the third statement that he makes about God is
his unique place. He says he is the only God.
The only God. There is no other God in the world.
There are many who are called gods, but they
are not gods. He is the only God. His uniqueness
is pointed out. Now, what's the implication of
what Paul says in this verse? It is that all
the issues, all of the questions of life fall
under the sovereign rule of this God. All of
them. And we can know that He is with us in them
all. Surely that would bring us to worship as
it did the Apostle Paul, as he does in verse
17. All of the questions, all of the heartaches,
all of the tragedies, all the questions of life
fall under this assurance, God is King. Oh, worship
the King, all glorious above. You and I can enjoy
that sovereign rule. When we do, it brings answers.
It brings release. It brings rest to our hearts.
Will you trust the Captain? I don't know where
you are today in your life, what issues may be
there, but will you today acknowledge that he
is the King? that He is sovereign over them,
that He is going to use them, that He is measuring
your experiences, that He has the right to order
your life the way He wants to. Enjoy the sovereign
rule of God. When our lives are filled with turmoil
and conflict and trouble, because we don't, we
can never have a vital relationship with Jesus
Christ. That relationship is vital, it's living,
it's nurturing to us when you and I come to the
place of resting in God's sovereignty. Unless
we have a vital relationship with the captain,
we'll lose our way. We'll stray off course. It's
just a matter of time. It may not happen today
or this afternoon, but if we don't have that
vital relationship, we will begin to go off course
somewhere along the way. Now, if that's already
happened to you, I hope today you will notice
how you've drifted and will repent of that. And
in that repentance, surrender fresh to Christ,
asking Him to bring that relationship to your
soul real and fresh again. He wants to do that.
In His grace, He will do that. And if you are
one who is not a Christian, who has no vital
relationship because you've never taken that
first step to embrace the grace of God, to receive
it as your own, will you do it today? Will you
trust Him, make Him your own, and experience
the forgiveness of sin? It is only then that
really you can extend grace and forgiveness to
those around you. Trust the Captain. Get your
life on course and then stay on course by experiencing
this wonderful relationship with Him that He
wants you to know. Enjoy His sovereign rule.
Experience His strength in your weakness. Embrace
His grace and worship Him. Let's pray. Now around
this auditorium as God the Holy Spirit finishes
his work in our hearts for this moment. If your
life is off course, will you see where you've
gone astray and acknowledge it to God? He's not
going to keep you in the dark as to where that
began. He'll point it out to you. Will you confess
your sins to the Lord and receive His grace for
that forgiveness today? Will you surrender your
heart to Him, recognizing that He is the King,
and ask Him to take control of your life and
to fill your life with a fresh, new, meaningful
relationship with Him? Father, I pray for those
who need to do that this morning. Give them,
I pray, that grace in their hearts right now
to respond, to respond to the work of your Spirit.
Will you respond? If that's your heart's desire,
you're saying, I've strayed, I'm coming back,
I'm yielding to the Lordship of Jesus Christ
in my life, I'm calling Him the King. Will you
just lift your hand and put it down? I want this
vital relationship, and I'm coming back. God
bless you. Someone else? I want to have this
vital relationship so that my life will stay
on course, so that our church will stay on course.
Is there someone here who would say, Pastor,
I've not even yet made that first step. I've
not experienced a personal relationship or introduction
to Christ. And today I want to receive Him, to
embrace Him in His grace and know the forgiveness
of my sins. Surely if God can forgive a man like
Saul of Tarsus and make him an apostle, He can
forgive me for what I've done. And He can because
of Christ's death for you. By the lifted hand
will you say, I today want to receive Jesus Christ
as my Lord and Savior. Is there one here who
would say that? I lift my hand to say, I want
Christ today in my heart. I receive Him as my
Lord and Savior. I want His grace in my life.
Oh Father, I pray that you will press that home
to any person here who is still toying with that
decision in the balance. And yet today, may there
be the decision to trust the Savior. Lord, we
acknowledge your kingship. We thank you for your
saving grace, for your strength that helps us
in our weaknesses, for your sovereign rule over
all of life's circumstances. May we live in the
joy of that and stay on course. In Jesus' name,
amen. Would you stand with me, please? We're
going to sing a chorus before we go. Now, under
the King, eternal. immortal, invisible. The only
wise God. We're using the authorized version.
If you don't know these words, you can open your
Bible back to the text we were in 1 Timothy 1.
But let's sing that chorus together. I thought,
here we go. You don't have it? All right. I thought
Paul was going to be here. I guess he's out with
the band already. Let's sing together. Now unto
the King eternal, invisible, invisible. The only
wise God. The only wise God. Be honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen. Amen. Be honor and glory
forever and ever. Amen. How many of you have
never sung that before? It sounded that way.
Open your Bible to 1 Timothy chapter 1 verse
17. You'll have the words. And then let's sing
it once more. It's a very simple tune. It's a
tune of giving worship and praise to the Lord.
Let's sing it again. Now unto the King eternal,
immortal, invisible, the only wise God, the only
wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen. Amen. Thank you. Now before we go, I'd
like for you to reach around and share God's
love and grace with someone near you. Will you
do that? And then we'll see you out there at
the ministry fair in just a few minutes. God
bless you.