Today I want to read to you a little portion from First Timothy chapter one verse fifteen and the fourth reason why Christ came to this earth was to save sinners. Let me read to you some verses then from Paul's first letter to Timothy chapter one commencing to read at verse twelve. Now I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. who has enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry, who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief, how be it for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show forth all long-suffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King, eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, the honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen. I am sure God will bless to us the reading of these verses. Let us bow for prayer. Our Father, we bow our hearts again in thy holy presence, approaching thee in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thanking thee afresh that we can come to thee at any time and under any circumstance in life and speak to thee in prayer. We want to give thee thanks for all thy kindness to us and for all thy mercies. We've been reading the Holy Scriptures where again we are reminded of the mercy that has been bestowed upon sinners. and the grace that has reached out to them and saved them. Grant now as we study the passage we have read that it will become a blessing to all who listen, hear us in these things for the Lord Jesus' sake. Amen. Now it should be obvious to everyone that our text is verse fifteen. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. Now it falls within the context where Paul is writing to his young friend Timothy and he is relating to Timothy some of the circumstances that seem to surround the change that was wrought in his own life. In this particular passage he's relating to Timothy what he was before his conversion and then he's showing how that he himself was saved and then put into the ministry. Now in coming to this particular verse then it's a faithful saying worthy of all acceptation. May I remind each one listening to me now that this particular verse sets forth something pertaining to the greatest person that this world has ever known. The whole message of the verse revolves around the person of Christ Jesus. And then it tells us about the greatest problem that mankind in general and every person in particular has had to face. That is the problem of sin. And our verse seems to deal with the problem of sin and sinners. And then it sets before us the greatest purpose that was ever undertaken by any person. That is to save sinners. And then it shows us The greatest pattern that could ever be laid before any group of people or laid before the heart and mind of any individual. Here is the greatest pattern of how the Savior is able to save sinners, for he saved the chief. And he distinctly says that this was for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life. everlasting. A dear old preacher who used to preach many years ago, in preaching from First Timothy chapter one, verse fifteen, he used to say this. If you like to read mystery stories, this is the greatest mystery story of all time. For great is the mystery of godliness that God was manifest in the flesh. Christ Jesus came into the world. If you like to read adventure stories, this was the greatest adventure of all time. How that he who was the eternal Son of the eternal God should come down to this earth and be the child of the Virgin, and live here amongst men, in order to destroy the devil, and to deliver them who through fear of death were all the lifetime subject unto bondage. If you like to read love stories, he said, This is the greatest love story that ever was written. For remember, God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. It was the expression of God's love when the Lord Jesus Christ came down to this earth, It was the expression of Christ's love when he went all the way to Calvary to die for sinners like you and me. Then, if you like to read true stories, this is a true story, true from beginning to end. There's nothing exaggerated about the story of Christ Jesus coming to this earth and dying on the cross. See, the verse says, this is a faithful saying. That is, it's a true word. It's a true saying. Some years ago in a certain large city, the editor of a daily newspaper made this claim that his paper was readable, it was realistic, and it was reliable. Now that's a tremendous claim to make for a daily newspaper. It's quite possible that it's readable, but I'm not so sure that they're always realistic. And I'm not so sure that they are always reliable. It all depends on the man who is writing out the report. However, when you come to the Word of God to the Bible, and you come to the message concerning the Lord Jesus Christ and the true message of the Gospel, we can claim for that. It's a message that's readable. It's a message that's realistic. It comes down and comes to grips with the needs of men. And then not only so, it's reliable. That is what he's saying here. This is a faithful saying. It's a true saying. It's reliable. Therefore, if it is reliable, it is acceptable. But then, take note again of what I said. So far as this text is concerned, it sets before us one of the reasons why Christ Jesus came to this earth. But then I said to you that the text tells us of the greatest person this world has ever known. We have kept pressing this truth home day after day in our broadcast. Now it's not just a matter of saying that the Lord Jesus Christ was a better man than others. It's not a matter of saying he was a good man. The fact of the matter is there was no other man to compare with him. He stands out unique above all other men. He is the file leader. He is the standard-bearer. He is the one that stands out conspicuous above a myriad. He is the one of whom it can be said, He is altogether lovely. He is the cheapest among ten thousand to our souls. He is the one of whom His Father rent the heavens to say, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. If you think of the wisest man this world has ever known, it was Solomon. A greater than Solomon is here. Christ is superior to Solomon. Solomon wasn't fit to lace his sandals. If you think of one of the purest men that ever lived, and that was David, and yet David sinned, yet Christ is superior. He's David's Lord. If you think of the strongest man the world has ever known, that was Samson. But Samson sinned and had an awful end. But the Lord Jesus Christ is far superior in strength to Samson. So he's stronger than the strongest, purer than the purist, wiser than the wisest, greater than the greatest. The Lord Jesus Christ stands out above them all. No other man has ever walked across the platform of time to be compared with the Lord Jesus Christ. The greatest person this world has ever known, the Lord Jesus Christ. But the text also deals with the greatest problem that mankind has ever faced. And the problem of the human race. becomes the problem of the individual. It's a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Now, it is not an easy matter these days to get men and women to admit that they are sinners. Or they will admit that some of the other people are sinners. And they want to think that there's a lot of sinners but not them. But my friend, the Bible says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There's no exception there. It's a very humbling thing when we reach that stage in life where we realize that the statement of the Bible applies to us, that we have sinned. And not only does that make us sinners, we sin because we are sinners. You see, an apple tree bears apples because it is an apple tree. It doesn't become an apple tree because that it bears apples. It's the other way around, it bears apples because it's an apple tree. Men and women commit sin because they're sinners. You see, sin in itself is a root. and the sins that are committed are simply the fruit. And so, first of all, we've got to face up to the root, and the root is sin. And because we were born into Adam's lost and ruined race, we're born in sin. Then, as we go on in life, we begin to practice sin. And so, we're not only sinners by nature, we become sinners by practice. And now the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Now it's not reformation that a sinner needs. And neither is it rehabilitation. What the sinner needs is salvation. And this is something that we all stand in need of while we're on this earth. Every man, every woman born onto the face of this earth needs to be saved. Friend, do you realize if a person is not saved, then that person is lost. There's no in-between place, either saved or lost. And if we come to the end of life's journey and we're not saved, if we die in that state, remember we'll be lost and lost forever. So therefore the Lord Jesus Christ came to provide for the greatest need of mankind. That was men and women who were sinners needed to be saved. So he came to deal with this great problem, the problem of sin. Have you ever thought of it, my friend, that the world's problem is your problem. Sometimes people speak in terms of our nation's greatest problem. Sometimes people will go a little further and they'll consider the world's greatest problem. And that problem will change according to circumstances in some people's reckoning. But here is the problem that has been with mankind from the day of the fall. It's the problem of sin. It was Adam's problem when he was turned out of the garden, the problem of sin. And how could he, as a sinner, be reconciled to the holy God who had been offended? How can a sinner approach God? See, what the sinner needs is salvation. And it's obvious that no man could provide his own salvation. And no man could provide salvation for someone else. The only person who could provide salvation for us was the Lord Jesus Christ. So he left the splendors of the glory. He came down to this earth and was born in a stable, cradled in a manger, lived in poverty. And He came in order to be the Savior of sinners. He came in order to provide salvation. Now, we've already pointed out in previous studies that He came to do the will of God. And it was the will of God that He should go to Calvary and die as the Savior. We pointed that out. in that particular study. For when he was in the Garden of Gethsemane, he said, Not my will, but thine be done. But then before he could be the Savior of sinners, it was essential for him to destroy, first of all, the works of the devil, and to destroy the devil himself. And so therefore he came. to destroy the devil. That is to take his power from him. And by so doing, then you be able to deliver them who through fear of death were all the lifetimes subject unto bondage. Then having accomplished these things, we pointed out that the third link in the chain is this. He came to call sinners to repentance. And so the message of repentance runs throughout the New Testament. And time and time again the great clarion call is sounded for men to repent. But then where there is repentance towards God, that will be linked with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. You see, He came to save sinners. And when men and women see themselves before a holy God, as vile sinners, sinners in need of salvation, And in true repentance they come before God and bow as it were at God's footstool. Then there will be the exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And where there is repentance mingled with faith, there will be salvation. He came to deal with a great problem of sin. He came as it were and here was the greatest purpose that anyone could have in life was to save sinners. Now then, before He could save sinners, He had to take the sinner's place. He had to go to the cross, and that punishment that was due the sinner had to be brought to bear upon the Lord Jesus Christ, in plain words. In going to Calvary's cross, He became the substitute for the sinner. He took the guilty sinner's place and bear the sin of our apostate race, and his own body on the shameful tree. And then again, if he was there, we can truthfully say, if we have trusted him as Savior, God shall not payment twice demand, first at my bleeding surety's hand, and then again at mine. Here was the greatest purpose that anyone could ever undertake. And when the Lord Jesus Christ stepped from the throne of His glory, He knew the very end from the beginning. He knew exactly what was entailed in his great mission in coming down to this earth. He knew that he would be despised and rejected of men. He knew that he would be a man of sorrows, acquainting himself with our grief. He knew that he would be led as a lamb to the slaughter, and if a sheep that is done before us shears so he would open not his mouth. Knowing these things, that He would be wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, that the chastisement of our peace would be upon Him. He knew all this, yet He undertook the great purpose and came to this earth to be the Savior. That's the reason we repeat again that well-known verse that you've heard so often. Thou shalt call His name Jesus. for He shall save His people from their sins. So He was the greatest purpose that could be undertaken. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But now there are some people, and when you present this to them, they'll answer you something like this. They'll say, yes, but you don't understand me. I am a vile sinner. I've done lots of things. I wonder if God could forgive me. I wonder if I could be saved. If you only knew the life, I'd listen, my friend. Here in this very passage we've been reading, Paul seemed to be able to thrust his mind forward to the very fact that people were taught like that. But now he's writing to young Timothy and he's stirring young Timothy up. And he's telling him what he's to do and how he's to go on and preach the gospel. And he's giving his own testimony. Now he says it's a faithful saying, it's a true saying, it's a reliable saying. It is acceptable that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And he says, of whom I am chief, he considers himself the very chief of sinners. He was the file leader of sinners. Why, when there was stoning Stephen to death, the first Christian martyr, Saul of Tarsus was the chief witness. Those that were going to cast the stones and stone steamed to death laid their coats down at the feet of these young men called Saul of Tarsus. He was the ringleader. He was the chief. And yet he said, He came to save sinners of whom I am chief. How be it. For this cause I obtained mercy. Here is the greatest pattern of all times. Now, if the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ could reach out and win a man like Saul of Tarsus, who was a vile blasphemer, he said, yet, although he was a blasphemer, although he was a persecutor, although he was an injurious person, he says, I obtained mercy. You see, mercy is that which withholds what is our Jew. And grace is that which bestows upon us things we don't deserve. He gives us blessings that we don't deserve. But you see here he says, I obtained mercy. Mercy withheld the judgment that should have come upon him for being such a vile guilty sinner. But he said, look, this is like this. I've been saved. I've obtained mercy. He saved me the very chief of sinners. and set forth now as a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. That is, if he could save the chief of sinners, he can save all the others. Oh, my friend, don't you realize why Christ came to this earth? It's true he came to do the will of God. It's true he came to destroy the works of the devil and deliver them who through fear of death were all the lifetimes subject to bondage. It's true he came to call sinners to repentance, and it's just as equally true he came to save sinners. And now if you can see yourself in that position and in that position as a sinner, then Christ can save you. Be saved. His grace is free. Oh, be saved. He died for thee.