1 Timothy “Christ Came to Save Sinners" (1 Tim 1:12-17)

Our sincerest apologizes for not being able to host the live-stream of the worship service this morning at church. We had unexpected technical difficulties but we were able to record the service and it is now live on YouTube. I apologize again for the inconvenience. 1 Timothy: The Blueprints for Life Together as God's Family “Christ Came to Save Sinners" 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Sunday, June 5, 2022 Do you believe people can change? We live in a culture that is deeply skeptical and even cynical about personal change. Many believe in a sort of biological determinism. "I'm an anxious personality, it’s just who I am. That’s just the way it is. A leopard can’t change its spots, an old dog can’t learn new tricks. The die is cast, the lot is fixed, That’s just the way it is, I was just born like this. " Lady Gaga’s 2nd album “Born This Way” has sold 11 million copies and become the 8th best-selling digital album in history and in many ways “Born This Way” has become the philosophical anthem of a generation. We’re born the way we our and just need to accept it. If you really are born this way the mature thing is to accept yourself, to celebrate yourself and be proud of yourself. Any thought about deep personal change is viewed with serious suspicion. Change is naive at best and destructive at worst. If I’m born this way then change is demeaning, repressive and dangerous, a sinister tool of manipulation and control. The truth is even though we’re told to just have more self-esteem and more pride in ourselves, we don’t always like everything about us. We’re dissatisfied with ourselves and without the possibility of change a sort of helplessness sets in. We really do want to change. This is what the last few presidential elections were all about. Doesn’t matter that the societal change of each party was completely different, they were tapping into a deep reality of dissatisfaction. We do more than vote for a different party. Reality TV has capitalized on our desire to watch shows about change, change in anything from remodeling, extreme makeovers, flipping house, contests to marrying someone, to lose the most weight, etc. We want to see real change We love! As an evangelical Christian church, we’re a people of change, a people of conversion! The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus saves, sanctifies and ultimately glories everyone who will repent and believe. Christianity is a converting religion. We must be born again! Big Idea: Christ Came to Save Sinners! 1. Jesus Strengthens the Unequipped (1 Tim 1:12) What service has God called you to and how do you need God's strength to fulfill your callings? Is God’s strength fueling your service? How do you know when you are trusting God's strength or when you are trusting your own strength? 2. Jesus Appoints the Unqualified (1 Tim 1:13-14) What is the value in remembering what you were before you were saved? How has God shown you mercy and how are you living in the mercy that God has shown you? 3. Jesus Saves the Unworthy (1 Tim 1:15) How would you explain the Gospel concisely to a 6-year old girl, a young man in the tech industry or an older retired military veteran? What might change in the way you describe what Jesus has done and what it means to each of these people? What would change in your perception of yourself and your perception of Jesus if you took verse 15 onto your own lips and into your own heart? Are you growing in your awareness of God’s holiness and your sinfulness? 4. Jesus Forgives the Undeserving (1 Tim:16-17) How have you grown in your appreciation of Christ's patience? Are you ever stirred or even overwhelmed by thoughts of God's grace in your life? What types of study, meditation, or worship produce the greatest response in you? Are God’s perfect patience and overflowing grace fueling your worship?