I wanna read a lot, and we may do some reading, but our focus today is gonna be in 1 Timothy, and we're gonna be primarily in verses 12, 13, 14, 15. If we get through 15 and 16, which I don't expect we will, but that may be our running start. for next week. We'll see. But those are going to be our focuses today. I would like to read or if someone would please read for me. Michael Gil, would you please read verses eight through let's read through 16. Now go ahead and read through 17. We want But we know that the law is good if a man use it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers, of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men-stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. And I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. and a persecutor, and injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly and unbelieving. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying worthy of all exception, 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 longsuffering for a pattern to them, which Shakira Africa we want them to live and relax in. Now under the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, in honor and glory forever and ever, amen. Amen. Thank you, sir. My heart's beating 100 miles an hour. As I began to read and study these verses, Last week's sermon, I hope most of y'all were here for last week's sermon that we heard about Saul and his conversion. Paul, where he was and where he was brought. I'm gonna confess today I am high sinner. I don't know if y'all know what high center is. Kind of a, maybe a farm turn. But if you're going over this hill and you get to the top of it and you bottom out, you got your other wheels hanging off on this side and these wheels and you're not really, you're not really getting traction. That high center for me this week has been God's grace. Haven't been able to get past it. My prayer is I never get over it. I don't ever wanna get over God's grace. Guys, and today's lesson, it's really when we dig into it, keep that in your thoughts here, that we need to remember God's grace. And that today is really what we're gonna be looking at, talking about as we go through this message. So, I've gone backwards, Tom, and I wanna go forwards, but I'm not there, oh God's grace. And as I read and I look at Paul and I think about the context, and let me add this before we go on. and make sure that we're clear because it came to my notice that Paul keeps coming up. Guys, this is not about Paul. We're not preaching Paul, okay? We're preaching Christ. Paul's an example and we can learn from him and we can learn from his experiences and even his testimony. But what we need to understand it, and I wanna bring to our minds that this is about Christ, we're not preaching Paul. And ultimately, we need to know and understand that this is about Christ in Paul, and what Christ is doing in Paul. And it's the same for us, okay? It's about what Christ is doing in us. So as we go forward, I wanna make sure that I've put that out there and we get a little context in picking up from where we were last week. Where we were from last week, and this is where I kind of began here in verse 11, as we see and we know and we understand that Paul giving Timothy these instructions to follow and not to waver from and not to falter from the integrity of the gospel and the message. And in verse 11, it says, we go through this list there, and it's a dark list of sin, corruption, not what we would see in believers. And it says, according to the gospel of the blessed, God, blessed God, he says, which I have been entrusted. And as I saw this and I read this, and I don't know that I said it out loud last week, but your pastors are entrusted by the same God that Paul was. Your pastors have the responsibility to teach and preach the same gospel. We cannot waver from it. We are committed to you, to God's people, that this, that we have been entrusted to, that we do it rightly for the honor and for the glory of God. I'm warning you. I'm warning you to get these things for your pastors. We are fallen men in need of God's grace just like you, but we have a calling. We have a calling from God himself to do this. I'm bringing some emphasis and some weight to that because as we go through the whole chapter, we're gonna see much to do about pastors and Deacons, and Judy. So big picture thing, as we go through that, we need to know and understand. And we go through this list, and I want to be, I want to put us where we ended last week. So I said I went backwards. I went all the way backwards to last week's sermon. I don't know about y'all, but I thought it was good. Turn in your Bibles. I don't want to rush today. I feel like I want to, because I want to get it out and I want to tell you. But I don't think that it would do us a service. So turn in your Bibles. Go all the way to Acts 26. Brother, I'm going to step on your toes a little bit. But it's probably maybe eight or nine months from now in Acts 26, when we get there, whenever we get to that point. And just for the sake. of us and our thinking have context as we're going forward to see where Paul was, what Paul has done, and in whom in Christ, okay? So we're gonna go back and I will read for the sake of time. and also our recording. And I'm going to read the whole chapter. Okay. And that's 26. The title, in my mind, is a grip of said to Paul, You are permitted to speak for yourself. Then Paul stretched out his hand and proceeded to make his defense. In regard to all the things of which I'm accused by the Jews, I consider myself fortunate, King Agrippa, that I am about to make my defense before you today, especially because you are an expert in all customs and questions among the Jews. Therefore, I beg you to listen to me patiently. So then, all Jews know my manner of life from my youth up, which from the beginning was spent among my own nation and at Jerusalem. Since they have known about me for a long time, if they are willing to testify that I lived as a Pharisee according to the strictest sect of our religion, And now I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers. The promise to which our 12 tribes hope to attain as they earnestly serve God night and day. And for this hope, O King, I am being accused by the Jews. Why is it considered incredible among you people if God does raise the dead? Pause. Brothers and sisters, this week is Palm Sunday, the Holy Week. Christ enters Jerusalem for the last time. Next week is Resurrection Day. Part of their whole problem all along and their stumbling all along, different lesson, I know it, their stumbling all along is they were looking for a king, a ruler, then, They would not get past the resurrection. It's a big deal. It's a really big deal. Next week, we're gonna come together. Resurrection, the Lord's Day, Sunday. Just wanna put that in there. Next Sunday. Verse nine. So then I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Here in verse nine, Paul is convinced that he is acting according to what he had been instructed and taught. Right? That's what his belief was. And this is just what I did in Jerusalem. Not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death, I cast my vote against them. And as I punished them, often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme. And being furiously enraged at them, That was a problem. Being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities. While so engaged as I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and commission of the chief priest at midday, O King, I saw on the way a light from heaven. brighter than the sun, shining all around me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew dialect, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Says Jesus. But wait, wasn't he persecuting the church? Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. And now I hope you're remembering our message from last week. All these things bringing into our mind. It is hard for you to kick against the goads. And I said, who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and stand on your feet. for this purpose I have appeared to you, to appoint you a minister and a witness, not only to these things which you have seen, but also to the things which I will appear to you, rescuing you from the Jewish people and from the Gentiles to whom I am sending you. to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the dominion of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in me. I'm home on grace. Verse 19, so King Agrippa did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem, and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. For this reason, some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. So having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying, both to small and great, stating nothing but what the prophets and Moses said was going to take place, that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of his resurrection from the dead, he would be the first to proclaim light, both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles. While Paul was saying this in his defense, Festus said in a loud voice, Paul, you're out of your mind. Your great learning is driving you mad. But Paul said, I'm not out of my mind. Most excellent Festus, but I utter words of sober truth. For the king knows about these matters, and I speak to him also with confidence. since I am persuaded that none of these things escape his notice, for this has not been done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you do. Agrippa replied to Paul, in a short time you will persuade me to become a Christian. That's where I want to stop, but I'm going to finish the chapter. And Paul said, I would wish to God that whether in a short, or a long time, not only you, but also all who hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these chains. The king stood up, and the governor, and Bernice, and those who were sitting with him. And when they had gone aside, they began talking to one another, saying, this man is not doing anything worthy of death or imprisonment. And the cripple said to Festus, this man might have been set free. if you have not appealed procedure. I read all of that just to put our heads where we need to be in Timothy, just to call to our remembrance of what we heard preached last week as we go forward about the defense of grace here. and knowing and understanding as Paul comes to this point, writing this letter to Timothy, and Timothy being with him through so much of his travel, and so much of his teaching, and so much of his time, and Paul, in Christ, pouring this doctrine into him and us. Paul, immediately, seeing this dark list that he has just spoken of in the verses nine and 10, his own sin, his own transgressions, bam, right there in his heart, in his face. Knowing what God has done for him, where God has called him from and given him this charge, bursts out into what? What does he say? I ain't even got to the first word in what we wanted to study today. What does he say? I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord. Now, does that help you understand the importance? Don't read past it or misunderstand how big it is. I thank Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters. His mercy on us. His great love for us. His grace. God, thank you. I don't deserve it. But you have brought me here. You have brought me through. And you will continue. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, Who has strengthened me? Where was the strength? Christ. Christ here, it says Christ has strengthened me. Paul's apostleship, his authority, his title being challenged by those that we've been talking about for the last few weeks. Not only them undermining the gospel itself and the integrity of the gospel, but also going straight to Paul. undermining him, his apostleship. We need to understand where that came from. This was sent. This was by God's own decree and purpose that he not saw off that horse that day. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has strengthened me. And Paul here putting Christ out first. Is that not, get it off of me. That's what I'm saying. We can talk about Paul all we want, but we got to get it off of Paul. We've got to get it on Christ. And it's the same thing in our lives. And I'm gonna go ahead and get this statement out there because I know if I don't, I'm gonna forget it. But until we come to a place where we understand grace, we will never come to a place where we get our own selves off the throne and we still want the merit for our own. That's what grace is about. It says here, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who strengthened me. What? Had he been straight? Paul's thanking Christ. Wait a minute. Weren't you beaten? Weren't you threatened? Weren't you jailed? Weren't you ran out of city after city? What does he say? I thank Jesus Christ. Because he considered me faithful, putting me into service. He, Christ Jesus, here the purpose and decree of God and the gospel going out as we're studying and we're seeing all through Acts as Pastor Todd leads us through this study, as we will go and we will see how that takes place and how that happens through God's grace and His perfect purpose and plan. Amen. And we today, how many thousands of years later, still reaping the benefits. He considered me faithful. He put me into service. I don't even want to bow by the word service. I don't want to bow by a word in that sentence, in that verse. So we come here and we see. And also, I want to make sure that there's, as we're going through, and we're looking at these things, and I know we've talked about this, and I hope I don't get it messing up too much. There's a cause, first cause. And then there's a second cause. What's the first cause? Todd? First cause? God acted. Second cause, Paul acted. You see, that's why I'm saying we can't just look at Paul and put Paul up there. It would be wrong and Paul would be ill if we preach Paul instead of Christ. No. Thank Christ Jesus, our Lord. His Lord, yes, but our Lord. He considered me faithful, putting me into service. Verse 13. Oh, wait a minute. I don't think I'm finished. There's a verse I wrote down. It's John 15, verse 16. I'm just gonna turn there real quick. This is, I mean, Bible interprets Bible. What does 1516 say? This is Christ and speaking to the apostles. You did not choose me, but I chose you. And appointed you that you would go and bear fruit and that your fruit would remain so that whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he may give to you. Paul's an apostle. The gospel had been, some of it intentionally, and I talked to someone the other day, and they said, it was you. They used it as a weapon to take people away from the truth, the gospel of God. The purpose, perfect purpose and decree of God from before time. So, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor, I read all of chapter 26 just to give you commentary on where we're at in verse 13. and also to know and understand first cause, second cause as we go through out that we must keep our eyes on Christ. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. And that's the reason why I commented on verse nine a while ago is because Paul himself there saying, I mean, this is from his own mouth, that he thought to himself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And he did it aggressively. With zeal, he went after them to persecute them, to take them away. And we read in there the list of how he did that and how I don't know what else the other term to use is, how dark it was. But then Christ knocked him off his horse. Did y'all remember the light there? And I see as he's writing this that he's thanking, he goes immediately from that dark place and even in his own self and his own life to Christ Jesus and his turning away from that. And as we see him as an example, from how bad to how good. And his goodness was not of himself. His hope was not of himself. His faith was not even on his own. And it's because of God's great mercy and grace and love. I like the verse. because that's to be sorry for what you have done wrong. And the second one is, turn to God. That's what you should be doing. Because there was a Gentile, and you know, they don't respect Gentiles, but Jesus was one thing, said, don't forget the Gentiles. And then thirdly, he said, and go, do works. God's love and his grace strengthens us. Don't stay there. Don't stay there. As I mean, that's where I want to be brother. I'm right with you. I couldn't even put my toothpaste on my toothbrush this morning apart from God. I was trembling and shaking and I gotta get ready and I gotta I gotta do this and I gotta do that. And then I'm like, am I doing this in my own strength? Guess what? Isn't that in us? It is, it's in us. And I know, guys, that I'm struggling with this lesson. But it's a good struggle, and I hope you get a little of it, too. Because as we go through this, and we're getting to this verse 13, we have to come to an understanding of about how great God's grace is, and hear this, basically, defense of grace. And it says that he was the one He was the violent aggressor. He was the one that was shown mercy. There's some contrasting, as we see here, the differences between what that is and what this is. And we could elaborate on that for a long time. And it's in all of our testimonies that God has saved us. given us salvation. And here it says, yet I was shown mercy because, and this is the hard, it's part of the hard part for me, is because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. And I'm struggling with that term, ignorantly in unbelief. Because Paul believed. We just read it, wanna know, what did he believe? Everything he'd been taught. The Pharisee of Pharisees. He believed in God. And not only he went aggressively against God's people, but he didn't know Jesus. He didn't believe in Jesus. His unbelief was a sin. And as we look at this, it says that he was ignorant of it. And I wrote out, and just because it started questions in my mind, this unbelief, and this, it's of whom? Because then I go to the law. We just came out of that for the last few weeks. I go to the law, and I think about it, and I look at it, and I see the table, the first four, against God. Our sin against God. Our relationship with God. Are you playing timekeeper on me? I saw you. When one looks they all look. I ain't sorry. I ain't sorry. Brother. So here, I got stuck on 13, yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief. And I'm going, wait a minute, he knew more than anybody. He didn't know Christ. That all changed on the road to Damascus that day, did it not? And then Christ himself said, you are mine. You will do this. Paul, and I'm gonna say this, in all of his transgressions and his darkness, came to know and understand his sin and, brother, repenting from it. And God says, I'm going to use you, not only for the Jews, but I'm sending you to the Gentiles. His unbelief, Did he violate? I mean, we already know from everything that we saw and read and understand about how he transgressed against his neighbors. He wasn't loving his neighbors as himself. He violated it, didn't he? But what about the first part? And he came to know and understand that he had sinned against God. And that changed everything. Now, His unbelief became belief in the right person. Yes, brother. Verse 16, this is what? Rise and stand upon thy feet, for I have appealed unto thee, to this purpose, there must be a purpose why I do this for you, to make thee a minister and a witness both to these things which thou hast seen and of those things in which I will appear unto thee. There's a purpose. I gotta circle the wagons here, guys. I really do. This is half the lesson. So what we just heard Christ instructing and telling Paul, and Paul giving this to Timothy, and Timothy in the situation that he's in there with those that were undermining the integrity of the gospel, taking people away from truth, and bring them back around. And not only that, also making sure there's an understanding. This is from God. This is from Christ Jesus himself. And as he just read, that purpose will not be for that is from God. And we saw that. And there's so much here and so much in this that I knew that we were going to get about halfway through it. Now I feel like I'm leaving you in the middle of the story, and I am. But we're going to have to stop for today. And maybe a running start from this into next week. 14, 15, and 16 down through all of that. There's much, much more here. I'm just going to read it. I'm not going to try to exegete it right now. and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. That's a pretty good place to stop right there. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners among whom I am foremost. Yet for this reason, I found mercy. I think mercy found him. Some other Bibles may have a different word. For this reason, I found mercy so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever, amen. Who's glory? Okay. Y'all got half of it. We'll talk about some more next week. Out of time, timekeeper. I'm thinking about me because it says here delivering the people and send you to the Gentiles. I am political, now American, and really Christian. Right. I'm okay with that. Let's dismiss in prayer, okay? Most gracious Heavenly Father, we come before your throne. The only way that we can come through what Christ has wrought, what Christ has done, through your grace, we come. It is your love and your mercy upon us that you would call us from darkness into light, that you would bring us through, that you would strengthen us, that you would be our courage, Lord, that you would be our purpose. Thank you, Lord. Thank you. that we can even come to Christ's own blood, making a way, now the veil being removed, that we can have access to the holy of holies. To you, we come today giving thanks singing our praises and thanks and Lord, our readings, prayers, and your word preached from your purpose according to your will, Lord. Lord, thank you, be with our brother today as he brings your word to us, that you would remove the scales from our eyes, that we would see Jesus today. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. In Christ's precious name we pray, amen.