I thank him who has given me strength for this, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful by appointing me to his service, though I formerly blasphemed and persecuted and insulted him; 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 saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. [NRSV]Christ Came to Save Sinners
Paul gives Timothy and the church a great motto of the early church. “Christ Came to Save Sinners.”
- It’s not new but it remains our hallmark.
- It is opposite of the image we have sold to the unchurch and de-churched.
- It remains our message and work of being the body of Christ for the world.
The foxes are in charge of the hen house.
I am the gold medal Sinner
The image of winning a gold medal is not only a sign of excellent physical conditioning and performance, it is also a symbol of excellence in sportsmanship and honor. That is why when athletes use performance enhancing drugs or when they break curfew and make fools of themselves or target for fools, that the world questions the meaning of the prize.
Paul names himself as the worst of sinners. The best at choosing poorly.
- The best at choosing poorly.
- The best at being bad.
- The best at placing God’s seal of approval on our blindly seeking what we determine God wants for ourselves and the world.
*Turn to your neighbor and tell them all your sins and we will see who is the worst sinner among us. Too uncomfortable? Too transparent? too vulnerable?
We are in good company of sin, but that is not what we want to world to see?
This is why those who are sinful in the church mislead those who are sinful outside the church.
Bottom line: Different sins bring different levels of consequences in the moment, but all sin wedges our way between the heart of God for eternity.
Sin is the perfect place for Jesus to shine.
The corrective message to be able to reclaim this motto Paul shares with Timothy and the church is this: Where ever we find sin, is the place to look for and share the living, loving, life-change grace of Jesus Christ.
What’s sin? Any choice that I make for the use of time, thought, energy, resource/money, influence, that does not lead ourselves and others toward God
- is working in the backwards direction,
- is leading us away from the heart of God,
-
is our sin.
Sin is not a concrete list of Don’t and Do’s.
The lists help, but the lists are never inclusive enough to cover all the shades of grey.
Practice Application of Shining Christ through our Sin:
- Prevention:
- “Lead me not into temptation”
- Practice Piety (Wesley’s Rule #3)
- Membership promises to use the church as a place of faith building/practice
- Confession:
- When we see our on sin, own up and ask for grace/fresh start
- When others see our sins, we confess, make right what can be done and seek grace
- When we think we get away with ‘it’ know this day, God knows and hurts with us.
- Grace over Judgement:
- Jesus looks at our sins and see someone to love and bless
- Calls for our repentance (our desire and willingness to be transformed)
- Call us to go and sin no more, live in the God direction
- Not as a rule but as response to grace
REVIEW:
So are you a sinner? Yep!
Does Jesus want to make you new, no matter if we are the best sinner? Yep!
Does God gives us a minds, a spirit and the church for support to grow toward God.
Who needs to know this? Who can you sit down and explain this to? who needs to hear this from you? GO SHOW THEM how far you have come through Christ.
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