THE TRUTH, THE WHOLE TRUTH, AND NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH
Text: I Timothy 1: 12-16
Intro: If we were to declare that there is one nine word sentence in the
Word of God, that totally and
dogmatically defines the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, most people would
laugh us to scorn. But that is just exactly what the words, "Christ Jesus
came into the world to save sinners" does. This statement is the
definition, the summation and the evaluation of the entire life and ministry of
Jesus Christ. This statement is the crowning expression of God's love, the
defining wonder of the incarnation of Christ, the solid foundation of the
church's message and the witness and testimony of ever born again, blood washed
child of God. This is the heart beat of the gospel, the good news of the
gospel, the pulse of the gospel, the fuel of the gospel and the power of the
gospel. On one hand, this is the most mind boggling statement ever
recorded, but on the other hand, this statement is so simple that a small child
can comprehend it's meaning. This also is the most descriptive and
defining explanations of our Lord's ministry, in that it settles once and for
all which doctrines are true and which are false. Did Jesus come into the
world to teach situational ethics? The answer is no, and that silences
Robert Schuler. Did Jesus come
into the world to perform miracles? The answer is no and that silences
Benny Henn. Did Jesus come into the world to promote a social gospel?
The answer is no, and that silences Joel Osteen. Did Jesus come into the
world, so that men could appoint
themselves Lords over God's heritage? The answer is no, and that silences
the legalists. The Bible still says, "Let God be true and every man a
liar". As we examine these verses, may we rekindle the fire and passion
for lost souls. We see:
I. THIS IS A DECLARED TRUTH
(verse 15)
A) Declared and Reliable
("faithful")
This word "faithful" means "trustworthy", and is only used four times in the
epistles, and can be found nowhere else. Each time it is used, it is used
to introduce a statement about salvation or faith. This word has legal
implications, which in that day refers to the oath that was taken in a court
proceeding, for one to tell the truth. It is as if Paul were saying, "I do
solemnly affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth,
so help me God". This saying is reliable, faithful and trustworthy in
three ways:
1) It is Foundationally Reliable
Look at who stands beside, stands under and stands behind this faithful saying.
It is Christ Jesus, the 2nd part of the Godhead, the one and only God-Man, the
Prophet, Priest and King, the Saviour and Lord, who came the first time as a
sacrifice for sinners,and is coming the second time as the sovereign of the
saints.
2) It is Factually Reliable
Never in the history of time and of mankind, has there been one god defying
person, who has ever proven one punctuation mark in this Bible wrong.
Every new cult, every new movement, every new theory just hangs around a while
and then disappears into the wood work for lack of truth.
3) It is Functionally Reliable
The Bible is a book of history, but that is not what makes it function. It
functions because it is a book of action, and the power of that action comes
from the main person of the book, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. This book,
when preached in power and demonstration of
the Holy Ghost, will convert and convert the vilest of sinners. God
has given us a functional book of Holy Ghost fire. This book will jump at
you if you do not believe it, and it will joy in you when you do believe it.
This book will be the bitter taste and sound of reminder to all them that choose
hell, but it will also be the beautiful testimony and sound of
redemption to all those who choose heaven. This statement is not just a
historical fact, but it is a Him fact. Salvation is not a plan, procedure,
platform, profession or a puppet show. Salvation is in, by, through, for,
about, will and to the person of the only begotten Son of God. It
functions as a simple salvation brought to a simple sinner by a sovereign
Saviour.
B) Declared and Recognized
("saying")
Some sayings tend to die out with the generation that started them, but this
saying "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners", has transcended time,
generations, space, apostasy, atheism, liberalism, socialism and today, it lives
on with power and demonstration of God's ultimate love for sinners. Had it
not been a true, faithful and trustworthy saying, then the skeptics and false
fact finders would have proven it wrong long ago. This saying lives on in
infamy, eternity, enlightenment and experience. That thief on the cross
recognized why Jesus came into the world and was miraculously saved by
God's grace. Almost 2000 years from that memorable event on Mount Calvary, a
little 13 year old son of a cotton mill worker, recognized why He came into the
world, realized that he was a lost sinner, and was redeemed by the blood of
Christ Jesus who came into the world to save this sinner.
C) Declared and Receivable
("worthy of all acceptation")
1)
A Warranted Transaction
The word "warrant" means "justification from a prior action; something
that attests to or guarantees a result; a voucher authorizing payment; a
judicial writ authorizing an officer of the court to make a search and seizure;
to guarantee the quality, character or condition of; to guarantee the security
of something; and assurance by the owner of something that the goods or property
are as represented and will be delivered as promised. This is not
a 10 year limited warranty, but this is an eternal everlasting warranty.
2) A Wholehearted Transaction
("all")
The word "all" means "the total entity of something; the whole quantity of
something; the utmost possibility of something; beyond all questions; each and
every one; each and every thing; exclusively after everything has been examined,
after every possible problem has been dismissed, and after every possible angle
has been studied.
3)
A Weighty Transaction
("acceptation")
The word "acceptation" means "a favorable reception or ready belief". This
means that one must receive this "acceptation" with "exceptation" and
"gratification" and realize that there will be no "cancellation. This
divine transaction is so weighty that no power on earth can lift it, no power in
all the universe can destroy it, no demonic power can block it, no amount of
unbelief can weaken it. It is unmovable, irrevocable, unchallengeable,
unearnable, undestructable, undoubtable, unforgetable, and ungovernable.
All the weight of where we will spend eternity is upon the shoulders of this
statement. This is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
II. THIS IS A DIVINE TRUTH
("That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
of whom I am chief").
This divine truth is:
A) He came through the Blood Channel
Not in a million years or with a million minds could man have perfected and
maintained the blood channel that eventually gave birth to the Son of God.
Man in his elitism, would never have been able to impregnate a 90 year old woman
without the divine intervention of God. Man would never have been able to
empower the blood of a lamb which was spread over the lintel and doorposts in
Egypt to prevent the death of God's chosen nation. Man would never have
included a red light district whore name Rahab to enter into the royal
bloodline, nor would he have permitted a little heathen Moabitess girl name Ruth
to marry Boaz who was in the blood line.
B) He came through the Birth Channel
Women had been giving birth to babies ever since Eve gave birth to Cain.
But every
single child born to woman, was also the product and seed of a man, until that
starry night in Bethlehem of Judea, when a virgin called Mary, whose womb knew
no man, but whose womb had been overshadowed by the Holy Ghost, gave birth to
the only begotten Son of God. This was a one time event, that would have
all time blessings.
C) He came through the Bloody Cross
Oh The Love that drew salvation's plan
Oh the Grace that brought it down to man
Oh the Mighty gulf that God did span
At Calvary
D) He came through the Borrowed Cave
Jesus Christ was not the first to rise from the dead, but He was the first to
rise from the dead with His own power. That is why the Bible says He
is the first begotten of the dead. Death tried with all it's power to
digest the Lord Jesus Christ, but
threw up every time. The grace tried with all it's power to claim the body
of the Lord, but it was declared null and void every time. Hell attempted
to bound the body of the Lord when He descended into Hell to preach to the
captives, but hell's chains were loosed every time. Death, hell and the grave
all tried to keep the door locked, and the Lord Jesus inside, but He had the
keys to unlock the door.
III. THIS IS A DIRECTED TRUTH
(verse 16)
A) It is Directed to us by a Standard
These verses had a striking and familiar resemblance to a court room scene.
It is as if the Apostle was saying that he was brought before the eternal judge.
A sinner has the choice of two court days granted by the Sovereign judge. He can
appear in court voluntarily and answer the charges while in this life, or he
will be forced into court in the next life. Either way, all sinners will
stand before the judge.
1) The Proof
("sinner")
Salvation is not confessing your sins (plural) before God, but it is confessing
that you are a sinner by nature.
A person sins because they are a sinner. A dog barks because he is a dog,
a duck quacks because he is a duck, and a sinner sins because he is a sinner.
2) The Plea
("of whom I am chief")
Paul was saying, "yes I am guilty, guilty, guilty". I am not just guilty,
but I am at the top of the list of sinners. I am the vilest, dirtiest,
most despicable sinner of all time. I deserve hell. This is true
repentance, "just as I am, without one plea".
3) The Pardon
("for this cause, I obtained mercy")
In this divine courtroom, Paul had pleaded guilty. The Supreme Judge said
"you are guilty". the Heavenly High Sheriff (the Holy Ghost) said guilty.
There was nothing left to do but to pass sentence. The Supreme Judge said,
"Paul, you deserve hell, because you are guilty of being a sinner, and therefore
you are condemned to spend eternity
in everlasting punishment. The Judge had spoken,the High Sheriff had
spoken, the sinner had spoken, but there remained one in the courtroom that had
not spoken. Standing somewhere in the shadows, there was a man called
Jesus, who spoke up and said "He deserves justice, but I
will show Him mercy. He doesn't have to die for his sinful nature,
because I have already become the sacrifice for sin on the cross of Calvary".
Guilty sinner, you have been pardoned.
4) The Pattern
("for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on
Him to everlasting life")
The word "pattern" does not mean "a scheme, a plan, a program. It simply
means"an ideal worthy of imitation, a model to be followed". From that we
can determine that God is telling us that if and when we stand in His
courtroom, that the judge will the same, the charges will be the same, the plea
of guilty must be the same, and the pardon will be the same. Salvation has
to be salvation, the whole salvation, and nothing but salvation. Anything
less does not match the pattern and
will not achieve the same results.