READ 1 Timothy 1:12-17

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1 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Now to the King December 2, 2018pm Ne w Hope R oad Joelton, TN READ 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Have you ever had a song get stuck in your head that you just couldn t get out? I think some people call it an ear worm, and they say that if you hum or sing or listen to the last 15 seconds of the song then it will get out of your head (although that has not been my experience). This time of year it gets really bad for me; Christmas really is unique in that it is the only season that has a particular set of songs that accompany. I will get some ridiculous song Christmas song (it s never a good one) like I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas or Burl Ives Silver and Gold stuck in my head for days. (I was going to say Christmas Shoes, but since I m still getting flack about dogging Hallmark Christmas movies last week, I figured I better check myself). Well all week, I have had a song stuck in my head, and it has not been a Christmas Carol per se, although just about every hymn could be well sung around Christmas. Turn in your hymn book to song 13, Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise. Some of you might say that you only Corey M. Minter Page 1 of 9

2 like contemporary music; some of you might just as quickly say that you only like the ol hymns. But I go above that debate give me Scottish hymns. Man, they re good O Love that Wilt Not Let Me Go, Beneath the Cross of Jesus, and so many more modern hymns put out by Scottish hymnists. Walter Smith was an internationally famed Scottish poet and pastor who penned Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise in 1867, but the version that we have in our books is actually his edited edition done decades later. Immortal, invisible, God only wise, In light inaccessible hid from our eyes, Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days, Almighty, victorious, Thy great name we praise. Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light, Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might; Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love. To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small; In all life Thou livest, the true life of all; We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree, And wither and perish but naught changeth Thee. Great Father of glory, pure Father of light, Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight; Of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart. Corey M. Minter Page 2 of 9

3 I have no idea what our hymn book compilers were thinking when they assigned Psalm 121 to this passage at the top of the page because it is a phrase taken straight out of Paul s accolade of His Savior in 1 Timothy 1. The grandeur of the song accompanies the lyrics well, almost sounding like the pomp and circumstance before a king, which is exactly the point of 1 Timothy 1. Paul does not really ever write a lot about Christmas as we know it a day celebrated annually (for that matter none of the Bible does), but he does often make mention of the reason for Christ s coming. It s here, coupled with Paul s introduction to his good friend and son in the ministry, young Timothy that he writes about God s purpose for coming. It is pomp and circumstance, heralding and announcing the King come into the world which looks totally different from that first Christmas scene of a filthy, rank feeding trough. We do not really have throne rooms in America, but I can remember touring the White House on a couple of occasions, and the truth of the matter is that the presidential palace would be a sorry place for Jesus to have come, so would the palace of Versailles. It s almost as if God knew that any man-made palace would pale in comparison to Christ the newborn King; so He allowed Him to be born in humble surroundings because all of our gold-plated walls would still look like trash to the Almighty Creator God. But now Christ sits in supreme glory at the right hand of the Father in a throne room only worthy of Him and no one else, and this evening, I d like to take you just a step into that throne room with Paul s writing of this Corey M. Minter Page 3 of 9

4 King. I have to think that Paul is reminiscing of his being taken up to glory that he writes about in 2 Corinthians 12 when he is recalling the worthiness of God and his unworthiness. To think, God would call someone like Paul to work alongside Him. 1:12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, 13 although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. It s interesting to me that Paul describes himself this way : blasphemer, persecutor, insolent. Just earlier in Philippians he gave all of his worldly credentials and they looked pretty good. Philippians 3:4 though I also might have confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he may have confidence in the flesh, I more so: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee; 6 concerning zeal, persecuting the church; concerning the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. That s because in Philippians he was writing comparing himself to the Jews who loved to seek precedence over each other, but in 1 Timothy 1, he is comparing himself with the only One Worthy: Jesus. When he stood before Christ, he didn t think about his pedigree, his upbringing, his schooling and his devotion; he saw BLASPHEMER, PERSECUTOR, Corey M. Minter Page 4 of 9

5 INSOLENT, IGNORANT. Really what he saw was MERCY I obtained mercy it doesn t matter who I once was! I am made new! 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. 15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. I love this next part. I have read 1 Timothy DOZENS of times, and I don t know why this has not stuck out to me until now. 16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. In that verse, Paul basically says, The only reason why Jesus saved me is because He wanted to show EVERYONE that ANYONE can be saved. The only reason why I am here is to testify of God s long-suffering. Had He not been (and still is) patient with me, He would have thrown me out years ago. It s here, that Paul (filled with the Spirit but also overcome with worship) pens a doxology. All Doxology means is a seeing of the glory. So he breaks into song not really but maybe 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Tonight, I just want us to look at this anthem of worship piece by piece in light of the Christmas Story. KING Jesus is rightfully King not just of the Jews like was marked above Him on the cross, but of all creation. As Luke points out in his Corey M. Minter Page 5 of 9

6 tracing the lineage of Jesus, Jesus had a direct line to King David; therefore, He was the king of the Jews. Colossians says it best: Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. He is King not only of a people group but of all peoples and lands that they inhabit because He created them and established their ruling. ETERNAL Eternal is one of those words that we throw around thinking we know what it means. Eternal means Of the ages. Basically, God has no beginning or ending. He was not created, nor will He ever die. We say we grasp the concept, but I do not think that there really is anyway this side of Heaven to get it. In some prideful way, we may understand eternity future. I say we can understand it (I don t think we can), but pridefully we cannot imagine this world without our existence; so we say we get it. I am convinced that there is no way for us to grasp eternity past, and that really is what the term deals with in this context. I had a Bible teacher in Junior High who used to always say, Has it ever occurred to you that nothing ever occurred to God. That is because He has always been. Before time, above time, outside of time and after time is no more. Jesus Corey M. Minter Page 6 of 9

7 is. That is why the Old Testament name that God gave Moses to tell Pharaoh was I AM. Not I Was or I Will Be, but I AM always existent. IMMORTAL The Second Law of Thermodynamics essentially states that all matter tends toward disorder (entropy). I heard someone say once that it is basically, housekeeping in a nutshell. Clothes get soiled. Dishes get dirty. Dust collects. Really its life in a nutshell: joints ware out, muscles lose vigor you get the picture. We waste away. Rust destroys. Dirt collects. That scientific law does not apply to Eternal King Jesus. He does not get tired or weary. He does not tend towards disorder. He will never know death, decay, or loss of strength. 1 INVISIBLE This one seems a little out of the ordinary doesn t it? God s superpower is invisibility? What this is really saying that He is only revealed when He wants to. God created everything, and it is a testament of His Being, but more than that, He made Himself known through the giving of the law (10 commandments we would not know right/wrong without them), special revelation through prophets of hold, and Scripture. Those reveal Who God is. We would not even know that there is a God without His telling us. That s hard for understand because we have (praise God) lived basically our entire life informed of His existence. Even before most of us could read, parents, grandparents or a teacher told us of God s existence. As we began to grow, learn, read we could read for ourselves in God s Word about Him, but place yourself in the bare feet of a tribesman 1 The MacArthur New Testament Commentary 1 Timothy p.33 Corey M. Minter Page 7 of 9

8 untouched by modern society. He may look around and know that there is a power greater than himself, but he will never come to the conclusion that is Jehovah God and His Son Jesus without someone telling him or his reading of it in Scripture. That is because God is Invisible, and He is under no obligation or compulsion to reveal Himself to anyone except He does, for His glory and our good. ALONE WISE There are a lot of people who claim knowledge and wisdom today. This week, I found myself reading and listening to a lot of Christopher Hitchens, the late, notoriously rude British atheist. The man had a brilliant mind, smart as smart can be, debating with some of the best minds of Christianity, but he was a fool. If you deny God, His existence, His offer of redemption, even a 6 year old quoting John 3:16 is more wise because it is faith based upon an Almighty God. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Don t miss it. Of himself, Paul said he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man. Of Christ, Paul proclaims that He is KING, ETERNAL, IMMORTAL, INVISIBLE, ONLY WISE. All that we are stands in stark contrast to Who Jesus is. 13but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. All that we offered Him stands in stark contrast to what He deserves, but He came. The King leaves his palace. The Eternal was birthed. The Corey M. Minter Page 8 of 9

9 Immortal was murdered. The Invisible made Himself known so that we can know Him in all of His glory. Corey M. Minter Page 9 of 9