← ArchiveFaith Over FearWhen Your Story Becomes His-storyDateSeptember 20, 2020SpeakerDr Josh BurnhamText—Passages in this sermon1 Timothy 1:122:03TranscriptMachine transcribed. Click any line to jump there.0:00Thank you so much for joining us. Thank you so much for joining us.0:30Right before the service I haven't seen since March-ish.1:00So welcome back to you guys. For everyone watching online, welcome. We can't see you but we know you're there. And to people in our overflow rooms, hey, welcome. I love that we need overflow rooms at our church. It means that we have too many people. Of course, the social distancing is affecting that. But I long for the day where social distancing is no more and we still need overflow rooms. Praise God for that day.1:28And I can't wait to hear and see what God is doing in our midst. I believe that when we open the Word, when we gather together, that God is here right now in our midst. And He's doing something in us. And so I'm excited to hear and see the stories of life change this morning because of the faithfulness of our God. So we are in part two, week two of our, this is a sermon series we've called Faith Over Fear. Which is very appropriate for the time that we live in.1:58And we're looking at 1 Timothy. So you can go ahead and turn to 1 Timothy chapter 1, verse 12. So it's, Timothy is almost three quarters of the way through the New Testament. So almost 80% of the way through your Bible. 1 Timothy comes before 2 Timothy. So if you can find 2 Timothy, if you can't find either or, just find Timothy. And go to 1 Timothy. 12 chapter 1.2:27So to this point, Paul, the Apostle Paul, has written to this young pastor in Ephesus. And he's reminding the church, guys, you'll never have faith over fear until you have faith in what is true and what is right. And so what is right is putting your hope and trust in the one true God. Not, not the temple Artemis. Not, not your strong economy, Ephesus. Not the government of Rome.2:56But put your trust in the only thing that can save you eternally. And that is Jesus Christ and him crucified. And now, Paul is going to launch into his story of how Jesus has changed. His life. And so, when your story becomes Jesus' story, your sin, your shame, and your emptiness become history. So that's our big thought today, right?3:26Are you tracking with me? I know there's a lot of stories in here. A lot of his. When your story becomes his story, your sin becomes history. Make sense? Spellcheck hates that sentence, by the way. But I believe the Holy Spirit loves it. Right? So, as we read this passage, when your story becomes his story, when you receive mercy, your sin, your shame, your guilt, your emptiness become history, as we see in 1 Timothy.3:53Let's read verse 1, verse 12, chapter 1. Paul says this. I give thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry. Even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man.4:19But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance and unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. This is a trustworthy and deserving saying of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, and I am the worst of them.4:47But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now, to the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, to the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.5:15Amen. Let's pray. Father, it is hard not to read this passage and not identify with Paul. Lord, we are the sinners. We are the chief. But you sent your son, the chief cornerstone, that we might receive mercy.5:46So, Lord, would you remind us by your spirit today that when our story becomes your story, our sin, our shame, our guilt, our eternal punishment becomes history. And, Lord, may we revel and burst into praise at the thought of what Jesus has done for us.6:09Lord, would you do work in our souls right now. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen. So, let's look at the work of Jesus Christ. This is who our Savior is. When your story becomes his story. Verse 12. Paul does really the only thing that he knows what to do.6:36And I think this is a good template for any Christian. When you get the opportunity to share about Jesus Christ, where do you start? I get that question a lot. How do I share my faith? What happens if someone asks me about my hope? Well, here's where you start. You start with Jesus. So, Paul burst into gratitude right here. He says, I give thanks to Christ Jesus, my Lord, who has strengthened me.7:03Paul begins with thanksgiving. Now, in English, we say, I give thanks. That's a very polite, Western way to say it. Well, that's not the best translation. It's really, I have thanks. Or, I am thanks-ing. Paul's just saying, thanksgiving is what I do because of what Jesus has done for me. And let me just encourage you. My hope today for the Christian that you are encouraged.7:32My hope for the non-believer is that you are convicted and that you would find Jesus Christ. There shouldn't be a thing as a non-grateful Christian. Like, that person doesn't exist in the Bible. Right? Paul's saying, listen, if you know Christ, if you have received mercy, you are thanksgiving. This is what we should do because of what Christ has done for us. This is his story.8:02And Paul begins to launch into that. One commentator says it this way. He says, memory, what Jesus has done on our behalf, keeps gratitude fresh and gratitude keeps faith fruitful. Most of what Jesus Christ has done in your place keeps gratitude fresh and gratitude keeps your faith fruitful. So if you are, if you are, if you're dried up, maybe you walked in here and you still, you, you feel like a prune and maybe you look like a prune.8:31The answer for spiritual dryness is gratitude because of his mercy. And gratitude doesn't cost us anything. But as a Christian, we should be thanksgiving. I have thanks. Remember the work of Jesus. But for Paul, it doesn't end here. Look at verse 12.9:01He says, I give thanks. I have thanks to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me, the CSB says. Strengthened me. Now, this is not a, what God has given me after Christ's strength to slay all my fears, to conquer all my giants, to kill the fires. That's not what Paul is saying. The wording here is that before he came to faith, Jesus was already giving him the strength and the faith to believe.9:28Isn't that a tremendous thought? That before, while Paul was a blasphemer, while you were a blasphemer, as we'll see shortly, God was preparing your heart and giving you the strength to say yes and follow Jesus Christ. Think about that. What a loving God that we have, that while we were spitting in his face, God was preparing you to say yes to his mercy.9:54And I believe there are people that are in this room right now, maybe our overflow room is watching at home, and you say, well, I don't believe in this Jesus person. The Holy Spirit is preparing your heart right now to follow him. What a loving God. That we have.10:24I am strengthened. I am being strengthened that I might follow him. This is the power and the love of Christ Jesus for you. This is his story. It continues, though. God strengthens Paul. He is strengthening you even before you find Christ. He is strengthening. He is putting roots of faith in your life that you might believe. Because, why? Paul says that God considered him faithful.10:52Faithful. Right here in verse 12. Now, I know what you're thinking. Some of you are thinking, well, I'm not Paul. I didn't write 60% of the New Testament. That's not me. I'm not faithful. That's not what Paul is saying. Chill out. Take a deep breath. This is exactly what Saul is saying at this moment. He is saying, as Augustine clearly articulated, God does not choose anyone who is worthy.11:22God does not choose anyone who is faithful. But, in choosing you, he renders you worthy. Jesus didn't look at Paul and say, you know what? You're faithful. I choose you. No, what Paul is saying is that Jesus looked out at the room and said, you're not faithful. But, I will make you worthy. I will make you faithful.11:49I find such deep satisfaction in knowing that. Because, if I'm honest, I look at my life this week and I say, God, my life was anything but faithful. And, you know what the Holy Spirit's response is to you in Christ? Don't worry about it. I've already prepared the path. I've already made you faithful. Yes, confess your sins. And, I will purify you. But, I have made you faultless already before the throne. This is the work of Christ on your behalf.12:18He finds you faithful because he makes you faithful. Does anyone look at me? Does that not stir your heart? Anyone, right? He has strengthened you. He has faithfuled you. I'm going to use a lot of words that aren't even words. This is the Sunday. Just bear with me. This is the work of Christ on our behalf. In Christ, God finds and makes us faithful. This is his eternal work upon your life. Okay, so now let's look at our work. If this is what God does, what's your part?12:47Some of you are thinking, okay, where do I fit in? I'm glad you asked. Look at verse 13. Even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. When Paul looks at Jesus Christ, he looks back at his life and he realizes he is far from what God created him to be.13:11Anyone feel like that? Anyone look at your life and you say, man, I'm far from what God desires? Some of you might come in today and say, I'm actually not, that's not me. I'm pretty good. You know, I am a card-carrying Southern Baptist. My dad was the deacon. My mom played the piano. And I still have the master key to the old church in my pocket.13:40Okay, let me speak to you for a second. How do I say this pastorally? Because I might get trouble when I get home. I'm reminded when I get home that I am a pastor. You're not as good as you think you are. That's a pretty nice way. That's a good politically 2020 way to put it. You're not as good as you think you are. The Bible actually says none of us are good. I'm not. You're not.14:10You're not. There's no one that is good. And so Paul is looking at his life and he's saying, oh no. He's looking in the mirror. He's saying, God, if I have added anything to this process, I'm a blasphemer. So the word blaspheme means that he hated and he denied that Jesus Christ was the son of God. Really, he was saying, God, I disagree with your plan for my life. I say no to the plan and the purposes of God for my life.14:38That's blasphemy. And I know some of you are thinking, well, that's not me. I've never used the name of the Lord, the God in vain. I've never said that. Listen, if you have not given your life to Jesus Christ, you are a blasphemer. And until you receive his mercy, you are rejecting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. For those who have given their life to Jesus Christ, remember, there was a time in your life, in my life, where you were a blasphemer.15:03So if you added anything to salvation, you added the blasphemy element. But Paul doesn't stop there. He continues. Look what he says. He says, my work, not only was I a blasphemer, I was a what? I was a persecutor. See, unbelief manifests itself in blasphemy, and it also manifests itself in your life in persecution.15:29You say, well, I've never tried to kill Christians. Well, that's not exactly what Paul is saying. He did try to kill Christians. That's not good. I don't recommend that. But Paul was hating and persecuting anything that did the will and the way of Messiah. So maybe persecution doesn't seem like you're holding the cloak of the people who are stoning Stephen and killing him.15:56But what if persecution in your life means that you had or you have a hate for what God loves? If you don't love the church, you're not loving Jesus Christ. He loves the church. He gave his life for the church. It would be like you coming up to me and saying, Josh, I love you, man. You're awesome, but I hate your wife. I would look at you and say, you what?16:26Get out of my face. I probably wouldn't say that, but I would hope that would be the way it came out. Because that's the craziest thing I've heard anyone say. I love you. I just hate everything that goes with you. That's what persecution is. It's us saying, well, okay, I'm okay with God, but I hate the church, and I hate anything that any of the community of faith with God. And before Christ, that's how you lived.16:56That's how I lived. Do you love what God loves? My prayer is that you would. This is the work of man. But not only that, it says, not only was I a blasphemy or a persecutor, I was just an arrogant man. I'm not going to raise your hand if you're prideful. I could test you this way. Anyone here? Raise your hands. You don't have to do that.17:29Unbelief manifests itself in our pride, does it not? And if we're honest, the root of all of our sins is a prideful heart. And Paul says, if I did anything, Lord, if I did anything, if I added anything to my spiritual life, I added these. I was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor. And I was pride and arrogance. So when you think you're somebody, just look in the mirror and say, Lord, if I've given you anything, it's blasphemy.17:59It is persecution. And it is pride. Talk about feeling small spiritually. And when we get to that point, when we see that this is our work, because it is, something radical happens. Look what Paul says. He says in verse 13, I was a blasphemy or a persecutor and an arrogant man. But what, church? But I received mercy.18:25What a profound, unexpected statement. So you're telling me that a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man received mercy. Yes. Completely unexpected. And we get this in English, right? When we encounter unexpected circumstances in our lives, we use that.18:52That's part of our English vernacular. Some of you, when you encounter something, you're like, oh, mercy. I know who you are. Where does that come from? Because it's like, this is not what I expected. And this was completely undeserved. And I believe that Paul is looking at his life. And even in the Greek, it's a short, stark phrase. It is, God took pity on me. Paul is saying, I didn't deserve this.19:22But this is my story. As one Puritan said, he says, Paul was mercied. He was mercied upon. A man in the 1800s was reading this verse and something stirred his heart. And so he wrote a poem that ended up becoming a hymn. And this is how part of the hymn goes. And I'm going to share the final portion of this at the end. He says, in response to, but I have found mercy.19:53There's a wideness in God's mercy, like the wideness of the sea. There's a kindness in his justice, which is more than liberty. And here is what happens. Look at verse 14. When Paul receives mercy, the grace of the Lord overflowed in his life. It's as if the grace of God overflowed into an empty heart.20:23It's as if the mercy of God and the peace of God overwhelmed an angry, arrogant man. Because that's who he was. And let me remind me, that's who you are. So for any Christian to be on their high horse, God knocks you off that horse and say, hey, there's only one horse. And Jesus is going to return on that white horse. It's not your horse.20:54Get off. And when we fall on our back, then we can say, but I receive mercy. God, there's mercy that's wide. It's like the wideness of the sea. Anyone thankful for God's mercy in here? Anyone? Man, we don't deserve this, do we? But, God, I like, I like buts in scripture. I like but mercy, but grace.21:23Because almost always it's in contrast to what I deserve. You see, mercy is a calming of the effects of my sin, which we're about to see. His work, Jesus paid it all on the cross for my sin. My work is the sin part. Paul's story is that he received mercy and it is available to you. And now, look at verse 16. When his story meets my story, my sin becomes history.21:49Verse 16. But I received mercy for this reason. So, it might be that some of you are thinking right now, why would God be merciful to me? Have you ever had that thought? I have. God, why would you be merciful to me? I know I don't deserve it, but Lord, you give it anyway, so why me? Well, here's the why me. You receive mercy in you.22:16And by the way, if you climb back on the horse in the last 30 seconds, the chief, foremost, worst sinner, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience in you as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. You see, something supernatural happens when your story meets the story of Jesus.22:43It's called the gospel. This is good news of Jesus Christ on our behalf. And the good news is that your story of spiritual self-destruction takes a radical turn when you find that Jesus Christ paid the price on the cross for your sins. So, your story of self-destruction now becomes a story of redemption when you put your faith in Christ.23:11That's exactly what is happening. This is for this reason. So, why does this happen to you? So that other people might see that it's possible. That's exactly why this is demonstrated in Paul. So, you are a walking reminder. If you are a Christ follower, you're a walking reminder that God is still in the saving business. I think of it like this. You're a billboard for Jesus Christ. And don't take this the wrong way.23:42But when people look at you, they should be able to say, God saved that person. And the second thought is, if they save you, they can save me. The mercy that God gave to you, He's offering to me. And there are people in our world that need that message. So, may we not live a life that says, look at me. May we live a life that says, if you look at me at all, I want you to know what I've added to this. Blasphemy, persecution, pride.24:11But, mercy. But, God. Look at what He has done. People should look at your life and say, wow. What an incredible, incredible Savior. And Paul gets this. And he relates it in this way. He says, that in me, God might demonstrate to the world an extraordinary patience.24:38I know I've been harsh on you. It's going to get worse. I'm sorry. The only reason that you and I are here right now and that you have not suffered the immediate devastating effects of your sin when you sin against a holy God is because God is gracious and patient. The only reason I'm still here and God did not strike me down25:07with a heavenly wrath that I deserved is that because He is incredibly patient. And we need to live a life that the world will look at us and say, wow, God is in creation to you. And He's incredibly patient to me. And it's a reminder in my life before I am quick-tempered with others and say, how dare you move out of the left lane passing only.25:36passing only. Sorry, I'm confessing my sins. Please forgive me. I'm not even going to go with the drop-off line at school. We'll just end there. Forgive me, Lord. Before we get upset with others and impatient with others, remember that God is not impatient with you. If anything, He is patient. And that should stir our hearts26:06that when we see people who are falling off a cliff spiritually, that we look at them and we say, you know what, I don't agree with what you're doing, but until you get your life back with Jesus Christ, you won't understand the self-destructing behavior that you have. And it is worth, church, it is worth us leaving the 99 religious sheep to find the one who is far off. And to say to the 99, just be patient, coming right back,26:35but there's someone who needs the Lord. God is patient with you. And right now, if you're listening to this message and you're not a Christ follower, I want you to know that the only reason that you are still living is because God is patient. He's giving you the breath even if you're breathing out hostilities towards Him. He's giving you that breath and He's patient that you would not endure the wrath because God wants none to perish but all to come to everlasting life.27:04So what is this beautiful story of God? It is that church in Jesus Christ, you are now part of God's story. God's story doesn't end when you close the Bible. God's story is continuing in your life for the rest of the world27:32to see that He is still in the saving business. And this is what happens to Paul. When he begins to work back his sins, he's reminded that God is incredibly faithful and merciful. And so now, as only He can, when you realize that when your story meets God's story, your sins become history, there's only one outcome. For the Christian, you have to just burst out in praise.28:01And that's what's going on here. Look at verse 17. I can just feel like Paul is, he's already tightly wound in my opinion, but I can just see spiritually he is hard to control his emotions and he's sharing what God is doing. He's like, I received mercy not once but twice and God saved me. I was the chief sinner and I was a blasphemer and a persecutor and an arrogant man. I was ignorant in my unbelief.28:30This is a trustworthy saying, guys. Believe me. And then he says in verse 17, he says, Now, to Him, to this great Jesus who is King, eternal, immortal, invisible, to this God, be honor and glory forever and ever.28:59Amen. And so church, if you have received the mercy of God, how do you respond to this? You burst out in praise. That's the only option we have. You don't read this as a Christ follower and say, nah, mercy. Pretty good. I'll retweet that one day. Like it on Facebook. The Holy Spirit does something within you when you read this.29:28We say to Him, this King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor, glory forever and ever. Amen means this is true. And so as we enter into a time of response, if you are a Christ follower and you look back at your life, which you should, and you see how great of a sinner you are and you see how great of a Savior He is, the only answer when we sing is to spontaneously burst out in praise. So when you sing,29:59would you sing for the glory of God? Because when your story meets His story, your old life has become history. To the honor and the praise of our Savior. The hymn I referenced earlier, there's another verse and I want to speak to those who are not in Christ right now. The author, Frederick Faber, said this. He said,30:28He said, but we make His love too narrow by false limits of our own and we magnify His strictness with a zeal He will not own. What happens today if Jesus' story is not your story? Listen to how this hymn, based upon this passage, is concluded. This is what Mr. Faber says. He says, There is welcome for the sinner and more graces for the good. There is mercy with the Savior.30:58There is healing in His blood. If the story of Jesus Christ is not yet your story, we want you to know that Jesus will welcome you into His kingdom if you, like Paul, will say in verse 15, Lord, I am a sinner and I'm a baby sinner. I am the chief. Father, I need31:28what the next verse is. I need Your mercy and I believe Jesus died on the cross for my sins. I believe that He is the Son of God and Lord, I just need You to save me today. Do you know what happens if you pray a prayer like that? Do you know the response of the Savior to you? The same response that Paul received? I never thought you would ask. Here is mercy. And if you have never31:59given your life to Jesus Christ, would today be the day that you can say, I received mercy. So as I pray, if you would like a pastor to minister to you, if you want to come kneel and pray, if you need someone to follow up with you, fill out that connect card. But would you give your life to Jesus Christ? He's worth it. And there is no sin in your life that you have committed that cannot be forgiven at the foot of the cross. And if you are in Christ today,32:31my challenge to you that is when we sing, would you burst into praise? That the gates of hell today would say, what is going on in St. Clair County? And we would say, his name is Jesus. Jesus.← Previous in Faith Over FearHow to Win the Fight of FaithNext in Faith Over Fear →Faith in Community
