Jesus Came Into The World To Save Sinners

[0:00] As our hearts are turned toward the incarnation at this season of the year, and I was thinking as Pastor Dave gave me this opportunity to preach this morning of preaching a passage on the incarnation, my thoughts were turned to 1 Timothy 1, verse 15.

[0:20] Simple verse, probably you know it by heart. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am foremost.

[0:35] Let's pray together and ask God to open this passage to us this morning. Father, we join our hearts in prayer asking that you would do for us what we cannot do for ourselves, that you would work in us by your Spirit and cause your Scripture to live within us and cause us to be transformed and encouraged and strengthened and enabled and empowered because of the ministry of your Spirit through the Word of God today.

[1:03] We ask this for Christ's great glory. Amen. Paul begins this brief statement about the incarnation of the Lord Jesus Christ with assuring his readers of the truthfulness of what is written.

[1:21] The saying is trustworthy, he says, and deserves full acceptance. We live in an era of pervasive cynicism.

[1:35] We don't trust much of what we hear or read or see because we're inundated by false and misleading information, and we've learned not to trust things, and there's not much that is reliable and true.

[1:50] Even young children are often very cynical. You'll hear it even in little children. Yeah, right. And they're betraying that cynicism. And Paul says that here's something that is trustworthy.

[2:05] It's something that you can depend on as true. It's something that you can believe and bank on. The message of the gospel is reliable and trustworthy.

[2:21] And it's trustworthy because it's not just the words of man. It's the word of God. It's a message of divine origin.

[2:31] Remember how the angel came to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, and spoke to him and announced the birth of his son and that his son would be called John and he would be filled with the Holy Spirit and he would prepare the way of the Lord.

[2:51] And through him, many in Israel would be returned to the Lord. And the angel, of course, appeared to Mary and told her of her child that she would have a son and he would be given the name Jesus and he would be the son of the Most High.

[3:13] And the angel announced that he would sit on the throne of David and would reign there forever and ever. And, of course, the angel came to Joseph, her husband, as well.

[3:26] And the angel told him that Mary's child was a child given to her by the Holy Spirit and he was to be called Jesus because he would save his people from their sins.

[3:40] The apostle Paul later, remember, in the book of Galatians, we just studied it recently with Pastor Dave going through this book with us. He assures his readers that his statements are not statements of human productions.

[3:56] He says, I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me was not man's gospel. For I didn't receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through revelation of Jesus Christ.

[4:11] And so the message of the incarnation is trustworthy because it's not of human origin. It's revealed by God.

[4:24] It's a message that can be commended to the consciences of all mankind because it's true. It's a trustworthy message. It's a message that can be believed.

[4:36] It's a message that can be believed. It deserves to be accepted. And the statement is that Christ Jesus came into the world.

[4:49] What an amazing statement. Can you imagine the stir that would be produced if some alien arrived from outer space?

[5:03] We focus a lot on extraterrestrial intelligence. There's been a lot of press in the last couple of years about UAPs, unidentified anomalous phenomenon.

[5:16] People wonder whether or not there's intelligent life on some other planet. Prominent businessmen in our country want to make us an interplanetary species.

[5:32] Science fiction writers love to write about intelligent beings from outer space. And serious scientists entertain the question, is there intelligent life somewhere else in the universe?

[5:48] And even as I speak to you, there are probes that we have sent out from the earth that are beeping little electronic signals and in the hopes that something, someone, somewhere will respond.

[6:03] But can you imagine the fear and the excitement and the trepidation that would come to us if there was a response to one of these probes? If some little response was made, there would be TV programs and panels assembled and experts would tell us what we should think or believe about this response.

[6:24] Can you imagine what would happen if some strange extraterrestrial creature was discovered somewhere? Our text tells us about something remarkable that has taken place in this world.

[6:46] Jesus Christ came into the world. He was not of this world. Jesus existed from all eternity in a dimension of existence that we cannot even imagine.

[7:06] And in the incarnation, he came into this world. Now we know he didn't come into existence in the incarnation. He was, his eternal identity as the Son of God is established for us in God's Word.

[7:24] He is eternally the only begotten Son of the Father. He is the one by whom all things were created. He is the one who, through the years preceding the incarnation, held the stars in their courses and the planetary beings where they belong.

[7:43] He was the one who was, he was always being. There was never a time when he was not being. Remember, the great apostle says, we were chosen in him before the foundations of the earth.

[8:00] So before everything that has a beginning, had its beginning, Jesus Christ was. But in the incarnation, this one who had no beginning, this one who was the eternal Son of God came into the world.

[8:22] He became what he was not from eternity. He took on humanity. He became flesh for us. He came into the world.

[8:35] You remember how Jesus talks about that in his high priestly prayer in John chapter 17. He says, excuse me, He says, the ones you gave me believe that you sent me.

[8:51] And he says, as you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And later he prays that all who believe in him will be brought to unity so that the world might know that the Father sent the Son into the world.

[9:10] This one who is all glorious, this one who existed eternally with the Father took the form of a servant. Now he could have demanded to come in his regal glory.

[9:26] He could have demanded to come in the eternal beauty of his eternal person. He could have demanded archangels before him sounding trumpets and announcing his coming.

[9:39] And none of that would have been an usurpation. He was the Lord of glory. He could have come in his regal glory. But he humbled himself.

[9:52] And he came into this world as a servant. He came in a simple family. child of a young couple who were out of town and apparently caught unawares by the moment of his birth.

[10:14] He didn't come into a palace. He came into a manger. This is remarkable because this is the most momentous birth in human history.

[10:26] The infinite became finite. The eternal one entered into a time-referenced world. The unchanging one became subject to change.

[10:39] The invisible became visible. The creator became part of the created order. The sustainer of all things became dependent.

[10:52] The almighty became subject to infirmity. the savior of mankind became vulnerable. And all of that is summed up in Paul's statement for us here.

[11:08] Christ Jesus came into the world. And the thought of the incarnation is a stupendous thought because it means joining together in one person all that it means to be human and all that it means to be divine.

[11:26] in this one being we find the one who is fully human, the fully human person and also one who is fully divine, fully God, all joined together in the same being.

[11:42] And that truth has significance that you and I will never be able to fully understand or fully grasp because it is beyond even our imagination to fully reconcile how the eternal God could become a man in space and time and live in flesh like our flesh.

[12:02] But that's the declaration of this statement. Jesus Christ came into the world. It would have been a humiliation for Christ to come into the world as a man even under the most ideal of circumstances because the discrepancy between the creator of all things and his creation is so great.

[12:26] The discrepancy between the majesty of his divinity and his humanity being in this lowly status even as the most dignified of lowly creatures would be a tremendous gulf that we can't even begin to imagine.

[12:46] we lack words to describe its significance. It's a breathtaking plunge from the exalted heights of the eternal Godhead and to be the exalted Lord of glory and come to the earth as a servant is stupendous it's staggering.

[13:07] The condescension of our Savior and the incarnation is a wonder to behold and is overwhelming to even imagine. and the amazing thing is he came into this world into this broken world that you and I occupy into this world in which things are messy into a world where there is sin and misery and depravity a world of degradation a world of filth he came into a world in which he experienced the full effects of the fall.

[13:49] Remember how Isaiah describes him as one who was despised and rejected by men one from whom men hid their faces one who was not esteemed Isaiah 52 says he was disfigured beyond all recognition like no other man.

[14:11] Hebrews 2 reminds us that he himself suffered when he was tempted he knows our temptations he knows our struggles he came into this world in fact that's the triumphant note of Hebrews chapter 4 we don't have a high priest who's unable to sympathize with us but one who experienced all of our temptations and yet was without sin God the son of God was sent into this world in a nature which in all other instances is fully sinful he came into this world in a mode that was consistent with his supernatural person so that he was sinless and his sinlessness would be preserved but he came in in a manner which was in which fully retained the genetic and organic connection with all of humanity even sinful humanity and this even though he he bore the effects of depravity that tracks with all mankind he came into this world in the closest relationship possible with human beings without himself ever being sinful and he lived on this earth as a man to whom the spirit was given without measure and in the power of the spirit of God he resisted temptation he always did the father's will he lived without sin not just as an example to us but he lived without sin as our federal headship he lived without sin so that we might have righteousness that's the meaning of 2nd corinthians 521 that he who knew no sin became sin for us so that in him we might become the righteousness of god he came into this world and he came into this world to to save he he he he he dwelled fully with us not just like you might skip a stone across the water and it skips and never breaks the surface of the water but he came into this world and experienced life in this fallen world he was found as Romans 8 3 says in the likeness of sinful flesh he was made of a woman

[16:50] Galatians 4 4 tells us 1st Timothy Paul says he was manifested in the flesh so he came into this world he didn't come on a vacation he came on a mission he wasn't a tourist he he came he didn't just come to be an example of the love of God while he is the greatest example of God's love we could ever know he didn't come just to be the prophet who tells the truth while he spoke the truth and he himself is the word of God but he came to save he came to accomplish a purpose he came to save and Paul is so self conscious of that in this statement Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners he came to save when we see the pictures of baby Jesus this time of year or the crushes that we might see around and this baby with the shepherds and the wise men bringing their gifts and all of this and we see the little helpless baby in the manger we've got to interpret that picture and recognize this is the warrior of our salvation this is the

[18:18] Lord of glory who's come on a saving mission he's come to seek and to save the lost he's come into this world to save listen to his own description of that mission John 10 he says the thief comes only to steal and destroy I have come so they might have life and have it to the full I am the good shepherd the good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep later in that chapter he says I am the good shepherd I know my sheep and my sheep know me just as the father knows me and I know the father and I lay down my life for the sheep I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen them also I must bring and they too will hear my voice and there will be one flock and one shepherd and later in that same chapter I my sheep listen to my voice I know them they follow me I give them eternal life they will never perish and no one can snatch them out of my hand my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one can snatch them out of the father's hand he came on this saving mission he came to save he came to lay down his life for the sheep he came to bring to the father all that the father had given him he came to save not just to make salvation possible but to secure salvation for the sheep he says in John 10

[19:58] I lay down my life for the sheep I call my sheep and they hear my voice and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish and no one will snatch them out of my hand all these terms describe the saving mission of Jesus Christ he came into this world to save he says the same thing in John 17 you might remember in his high priestly prayer he says I have revealed you to those you gave me out of the world they were yours I gave them to you and they have obeyed your word and now they know that everything you have given me comes from you for I gave them the words that you gave me and they accepted them they knew with certainty that I came from you and they believed that you sent me I pray for them I'm not praying for the world but for those you have given me for they are yours all that I have is yours and all you have is mine and glory has come to me through them

[21:02] I fear that much that parades around as the gospel is not a triumphant message of saving purpose but a tentative message of saving potential a gospel in which no one is actually saved but salvation is made possible that's not what our text describes it says Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners he came as a sin bearer to save he bore in his flesh the marks of that vicarious suffering that he endured and which life in a sinful world left on him he experienced unparalleled agony and reproach and shame and curse that are due to those whom he came to save he endured mocking torment and humiliating dishonor at the hands of men he bore in his body our sins on the tree he even experienced the ignominy of death on the cross death as a criminal as a sinner so

[22:27] Paul says it's a trustworthy saying it deserves to be accepted that Christ Jesus came into the world to save to secure salvation to save sinners Paul says of whom I am chief he came to save sinners that's the problem of this world as you know the problem of this world is that people are sinners that's people do disgusting things to others even made in the image of God people are so fallen that they will lurk in the shadows and gun someone down whom they don't even know drug dealers here in Hazleton will shoot each other in the streets we hear the news sometimes of young men who will shake a crying infant until the infant suffers a brain hemorrhage people dishonor their parents all kinds of ugly things happen in a fallen world and of course think of the passages scripture that describe how fallen how broken this world is into which

[23:43] Christ came Romans chapter one says God gave them up to do what ought not to be done they were filled with all manner of unrighteousness evil covetousness malice they're full of envy murder strife deceit maliciousness they're gossips slanderers haters of God insolent haughty boastful inventors of evil disobedient to the parents foolish faithless heartless ruthless or remember Paul's words in Romans 3 there's no one righteous not even one no one understands no one seeks for God all have turned aside together they become worthless there's no one who does good not even one their throat is an open grave they use their tongues to deceive the venom of asps is under their lips their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness their feet are swift to shed their paths are ruined and misery the way of peace they have not known there is no fear of

[24:49] God before their eyes or one other descriptive passage describing the brokenness of life in this world it says there will be lovers of themselves in 1st Timothy 3 lovers of money proud arrogant abusive disobedient to their parents ungrateful unholy heartless unappeasable slanderous without self control brutal not loving good treacherous reckless swollen with conceit lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God it's people like this people like you and me that Jesus came to save he came into this world to save sinners and you know you know of course sin is not just a problem out there it's it's my problem it's your problem

[26:00] I'm a sinner you're a sinner you're in need of salvation I'm in need of salvation there are things about you that are ugly and perverse things like my compulsive self love things like your dishonesty and willingness for people to think of you more highly than they ought to think things like my hypocrisy and judgmentalism spirit things like your hatred of God's right to rule and the ways that you rebel against his rule hundreds of times each day you're a sinner and you know it I'm a sinner and my problem is

[27:03] I I sin not only out of weakness I sin out of badness you you have done things that you should have never done and you would never want anyone else to know I've done things that if they were displayed on the screen here behind me I would never want to show my face in this building again we are sinners I remember talking to a man one time who was a Christian about being a sinner and he got very indignant he said I am not a sinner I used to be a sinner but I'm not a sinner now well that's not what Paul says Paul says Christ Jesus came in to save sinners of whom I am am foremost now if he had used the past tense if the passage said

[28:03] Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I was chief we would know how to interpret that wouldn't we we would immediately think oh yes of course he was the chief of sinners remember how he he persecuted Christians and he dragged men and women out of their houses and had them thrown into prison he was the chief of sin he really was but Paul doesn't say of whom I was chief he could have said that he knew how to form the past tense but he says of whom I am chief and his confession is your confession and my confession I'm the chief of sinners you are the chief of sinners we can try to deny that we're as bad as the Bible says that we are or we can face the problem head on and be grateful that God sent his son into the world to save sinners if we deny we're as bad as the scriptures say that we are we actually fail to understand the incarnation the purpose of the incarnation the reason he came and of course if we deny we're as bad as the scriptures say that we are we disassociate ourselves from his very purpose in coming because he came to save people that are as bad as we are so

[29:27] Paul says the saying is trustworthy this truth was apparently a saying in the early church you know how we have we have sayings we have things that we say that are kind of familiar phrases that we all know when someone starts it we can finish it no news is good news each cloud has a silver lining when the going gets tough the tough keep going I mean these are all sayings that we're familiar with and apparently this was a saying that was freely spoken about in the church in the early church Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners remember brother Christ came into the world to save sinners it was a saying it was freely said it was recognized by the church and Paul says this saying is trustworthy it deserves full acceptance Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners there are worlds of truth in this very simple saying faced with sin and failure feeling like

[30:39] I would just give up thinking to myself how long is God going to put up with me with all my failure and the ways that I sin again and again and again I'm reminded Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners or faced with people that seem so hard hearted and so far from God and so implacable one wonders how could they ever be saved the saying is trustworthy and deserves acceptance Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners or faced with the hard heartedness of people whom we love our brothers our sisters our aunts uncles fathers mothers neighbors people we care for deeply who seem so far from God this this saying can encourage and fuel our prayers oh lord

[31:40] I pray for him I remember you came into the world to save sinners save this sinner save him or wondering will I ever make it will the blood of Christ be enough will I one day arrive in glory and be confirmed in righteousness this voids my spirits and gives me encouragement Christ Jesus came into the world for that very purpose to save sinners and to take people as broken as you and I are and make them into saints who are glorious in his sight he came to save sinners when I look around me see all the obstacles that seem so overwhelming and everything that seems so hopeless this is a trustworthy saying Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners in your heart you know that you're a sinner that's why we expend so much energy trying to justify ourselves and there's hope for people like you and me who are sinners it's not found in new ideas is not found in new efforts is not found in new political systems or new winds that are blowing it's found in a divine person this one who was always being with God and came into this world to save sinners

[33:35] I want to ask you this question this morning have you brought yourself before God have you come before God and repented of your sin and cast yourself and all of your hope on this one who saves sinners this is a trustworthy saying and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners let's pray together Father how we thank you for this good news and even for the common grace that gives us annual reminders in our culture of the fact that Christ came into the world to save sinners we pray that you would move our hearts with this truth and cause us to be overwhelmed with thanksgiving and gratitude for what you have done in bringing us salvation we pray this for Christ's glory

[34:51] Amen our last hymn is hymn 311 hail to the Lord's anointed and you'll see throughout this hymn just this story great David's greater son at the time appointed his reign on earth begun he's come to break oppression to set the captive free take away transgression and rule in equity the uh we read in Revelation chapter 20 the statement of the serpent being thrown into the fire verse 4 says over every foe victorious he on his throne shall rest from age to age more glorious all blessing and all blessed let's stand and sing our final hymn 311 hail to the Lord's anointed great David's greater son hail in the time appointed his reign on earth begun he comes to break oppression to set the captive free to take away transgression and rule in equity and rule in equity he comes with comfort speed to those who suffer wrong to help the poor and mean and with the weak be strong to name them songs for sighing their darkness turned to light whose souls condemned and dying were precious in his sight he shall come down like showers come on the fruitful earth and love joy hope like flowers stream in his path to birth before him on the mountain shall peace the herald gold and righteousness in fountains from hill to valley flow for every foe victorious he on his throne shall rest from age to age more glorious all blessing and all blessed the tide of time shall never his covenant reboot his name shall stand forever that name to us is God receive this benediction now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy to the only God our Savior

[38:52] through Jesus Christ our Lord be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority before all time and now and forever Amen very shortly in about and for this alrightiałem then the we're going to." with aㅇ them and we can see you