Download Ash Wednesday – February 25, 2009

Pentecost 17 – September 19, 2010
Pastor Brauer
Jesus Sinners Does Receive
1 Timothy 1:12-17
“Jesus sinners does receive; Oh, may all this saying ponder…Jesus sinners does receive” (CW 304:1). Jesus was accused
by his critics of welcoming sinners, receiving sinners, and eating with sinners. Sinners who had done in public some
indecent and shameful things. “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them,” the Pharisees and teachers muttered about
Jesus (Lk 15:2). It was true. Jesus did welcome sinners and eat with them. In fact, Jesus essentially told his critics, “Not
only do I welcome sinners, I go looking for them, I seek out sinners, and I keep at it until I find them.” Thus the shepherd who
left the 99 behind and went after the one lost sheep until he found it. Thus the woman who kept sweeping and searching
until she found her lost coin. That’s Jesus. He seeks after sinners until he finds them and makes them his. Jesus sinners
does receive.
Today we are beginning a series of sermons on sections from the pastoral epistles. The term “pastoral epistles” refers to
three books in the New Testament, all three of them written by the apostle Paul. The books of 1 and 2 Timothy and the book
of Titus. Paul, the experienced pastor and missionary, wrote these letters to instruct, warn, and encourage younger pastors
named Timothy and Titus. Though the books are addressed specifically to pastors, these important letters are for all of
God’s people. And I pray the Holy Spirit richly blesses our time in them together over the next few Sundays.
If ever there was a man who was living, breathing proof that Jesus sinners does receive, it’s the man who wrote these words:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am
the worst. The chief of sinners, the first of sinners. Why would the apostle Paul say such a thing about himself? Is he
lacking self-esteem? Is he exhibiting a poor level of self-worth? Paul called himself the chief of sinners because it was true.
He had evidence to back it up. I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man…I acted in ignorance and
unbelief. Those are heavy charges to be leveled against a guy. A blasphemer. You know it’s one thing to be slandering
other people, saying things to ruin their reputation, even telling lies about them. But it’s another thing to do those things to
God. Slander God. Try to ruin God’s reputation. Tell lies about God. That’s what blasphemy is, and Paul had done it.
When he was still acting in unbelief, Paul thought that Jesus was an imposter who claimed to be God and that anyone who
believed in the claims of Jesus was a total fool. Paul promoted an anti-Christian agenda in public. He also acted out on his
views. He said he had been a persecutor. He put many Christians in prison. When Christians were put to death, he cast his
vote against them. He scurried from synagogue to synagogue to seek Christians out and destroy them. He even hunted
Christians down in foreign cities outside the borders of Judea. He had blood on his hands, a lot of blood on his hands. A
violent man is also the way Paul described himself. You know the word hubris? It’s a loaded word. Hubris. Arrogance,
supreme self-confidence that eventually finds its way out of a guy’s mouth and off a guy’s hand and usually in the end gets
him into trouble. Hubris. A good word to describe what Paul had been. He used to think he was hot stuff, spiritually
speaking. If anyone could have worn a badge that said “commandment keeper of the decade” Paul once thought it should
have been him. Such hubris is what led Paul to eradicate his foes with acts of violence. A blaspheming, persecuting, violent,
ignorant unbeliever – that’s what Paul had been before the Lord Jesus confronted him on a road to Damascus.
By the time Paul wrote this first letter to Timothy, all those things were a part of Paul’s past. At one time earlier in his life he
had been a violent, persecuting blasphemer. Now that wasn’t him anymore. Now Paul was a gospel missionary who
suffered the slander, persecution, and violence from folks hostile to Christianity. But pay attention. Look carefully at what
Paul writes about himself in that famous verse, 1 Timothy 1:15: Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. Did you hear that? Of whom I am the worst. It’s
not a past tense, “I was the worst.” It’s a present tense, “I am the worst.” Even as a Christian, even as a gospel missionary,
even as an apostle of Christ Jesus, Paul was still calling himself the worst of sinners. Why? I think the answer is in what
Paul had written a few years earlier to the Christians in Rome: (Read Romans 7:14-24).
Can you identify with Paul, the chief of sinners? We are not going to argue today about who indeed is the worst sinner to
ever come into God’s kingdom. We are not going to vie with each other to see who has the juiciest story about “what a
terrible sinner I was in former days.” There’s something sickly perverse about wanting to be the guy with the best stories
about being bad. In no way was Paul proud of his sinful past nor of his present struggles with sin. He only spoke of them,
and that very sparingly, to highlight God’s grace. No, it’s enough for you and me to confess, “I’ve got my sins of the past that
are ample evidence for me to think of myself as the chief of sinners. And I’ve got plenty of present struggles with sin in my
personal life that remind me again when I look in the mirror who the chief of sinners is.” It’s enough for you and me to take
the apostle’s words onto our own lips, bow our heads, beat our breast, and blurt out to God, “God, be merciful to me, the
worst of sinners.”
“Sheep that from the fold did stray Are not by the Lord forsaken; Weary souls who lost their way Are by Christ, the shepherd
taken In his arms that they may live – Jesus sinners does receive” (CW 304:3). The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who had
once laid down his life on the cross for the sheep and then took his life back up again from the grave, the Good Shepherd
one day left the 99 of his flock out in the open country and made an appearance at a spot on the road from Jerusalem to
Damascus to look for one particular sheep whose way was lost. Jesus went looking for that sheep and found him. “Saul,
Saul, why do you persecute me?” the Shepherd asked the belligerent sheep. Jesus blinded Paul and sent him into
Damascus, where three days later Paul’s sight was restored and he was baptized. Jesus had just welcomed and received
another sinner into his company. Years after his conversion to faith in Christ, after years of faithful service, after spreading
the gospel on two continents, after numerous trips of preaching the gospel out of love for God his Savior and out of love for
fellow human beings for whom Christ had died, Paul still never got over what Christ Jesus had done for him and done to him.
Mercy…grace…unlimited patience. Those were the words that ran through Paul’s mind every day of his life. The Lord’s
mercy. The Lord’s grace. The Lord’s unlimited patience. Paul didn’t choose Jesus. Paul didn’t make Jesus his personal
Lord and Savior. Paul didn’t “find religion” and he didn’t “find Jesus” either. Jesus chose Paul. Jesus saved Paul from
eternal death and gave Paul his faith in Jesus. Jesus sought Paul and Jesus found Paul. And Paul knew why Jesus had
done this for him. Paul would serve as an example, as a prototype, of the same thing the Lord Jesus has done for every
believer ever since and of the same things the Lord Jesus will do for everyone he converts to faith until the end of the age.
Paul’s response to all this? Praise. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever
and ever. Amen.
You can identity with Paul, can’t you? Praise the King that you can and that you do identify with Paul. Here is a trustworthy
saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. Memorize
this passage. Tell it to yourself again every morning and every evening this week. Here is a trustworthy saying that
deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the worst. Think about each word.
Christ. “The Anointed One.” The Holy Spirit anointed Christ to preach good news, bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim
freedom for captives, comfort all who mourn, and provide hope for those who grieve. Jesus. Savior. The angel Gabriel told
Mary to name her baby Jesus. An angel of the Lord explained why to Mary’s fiancé, Joseph: “She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1). Came into the world.
Before we were ever born, Jesus was born for us. Before we ever saw the light of day, the Light of the World was born in the
dark of Bethlehem’s night. And why did he come? To save. Remember what the angel announced at Jesus’ birth? “To you
is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Lk 2). Jesus himself described his mission in the same way: “The Son of
Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Lk 19). Before we ever knew who Jesus was, he had already died on the cross to
pay the penalty for our sin. Long before we ever gurgled or burped in our crib, Jesus had risen from the dead. Then after we
came into the world, Jesus sought us out like a shepherd looking for his lost sheep. He found us. He had us baptized for the
forgiveness of all our sins. Jesus saved us. He has intervened and rescued us from going to hell. In mercy he has given us
faith in him and, through faith in him, eternal life. You and I – sinners! – are now going to live forever with Christ Jesus our
Lord. Jesus sinners does receive! To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and
ever.
Jesus was criticized by the Pharisees for welcoming sinners and eating with them. Some of those public sinners were tax
collectors, not usually the most upright men in that society. One of those tax collectors was a man named Matthew. Jesus
chose Matthew to be one of his twelve apostles. Jesus was persecuted by Paul in the sense that Paul was persecuting
Christians, members of the body of Christ. But Jesus converted Paul to faith in him. Jesus chose Paul to be his special
chosen tool to bring the good news of God’s forgiveness to the Gentile world. Do you see a pattern here? Jesus receives
sinners also into his service. Paul understood this too and was deeply grateful for it. I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has
given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service…The grace of our Lord was poured out on
me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Jesus receives sinners into his service. It’s just an astounding thing. The more you think about it, the more amazing it is.
Jesus receives sinners into his service. Matthew, Paul, you, me. He has converted us to saving faith in Christ. He kindles in
us love for him and desire to serve him and only him. He kindles in us love for fellow sinners and a desire to serve them for
their eternal good. You read this section from 1 Timothy, and it really changes the way you think about other people. The
way you deal with fellow sinners. I’m not talking about telling people it’s okay to sin. It’s not okay. It’s deadly. That’s what
the Pharisees misunderstood about Jesus, and that’s what many people still misunderstand today. When Jesus receives
sinners, he’s not saying their sin is okay. Jesus does not sanction sinners. Jesus saves sinners.
When it’s also our desire that sinners be saved, we deal with them in a whole new way. With love. Christian love. Yes, we
must take a strong stand against abortion because it’s murder and we want babies to live. But at the same time, we stand up
for sinners and speak loud and clear to those who deal with the guilt of an abortion that Jesus sinners does receive. Yes, we
must take a strong stand against homosexuality because it’s immoral. But at the same time, we stand up for sinners and
speak loud and clear to those struggling with homosexual desires that Jesus sinners does receive. Yes, we must take a
strong stand against Islam and its denial of Jesus as God and Savior. But at the same stand, we stand up for sinners and
desire that all be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. How is such a proper balance toward other sinners possible?
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am
the worst. Love found me – wondrous thought! – found me when I sought him not (CW 385:2). Amen.