Worshiping God for His Grace Part II

1 Timothy 1:12-17:

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am the foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, that in being 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.

Our first point of emphasis today is the Truth of God’s Grace, and it all starts with the Call of God.

Before we delve into this first point I want to take a moment to emphasize two separate types of the Biblical term called, or the call of God:

• The outward, or external call

• The inward call, or drawing of the Holy Spirit

The outward or external call can easily be viewed in passages where people hear the clear presentation of the Gospel message, and reject it. The inward call or drawing of the Holy Spirit is displayed clearly in many passages, including Romans 8:30: “and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Jesus told a parable about a great wedding feast, and all of those invited came up with different excuses as to why they couldn’t come. He finishes the parable in Matthew 22:14 with the startling statement “many are called, but the chosen are few” This includes both those who have been called externally, by hearing the message, and those who have been called both externally by hearing the Gospel, and internally, by the drawing of the Holy Spirit. It is those who have been chosen, that are drawn by the Spirit.

Focusing on 1 Tim 1:12 “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service,” I want to zero in on the fact, that in this passage, Paul is the object of Christ’s plan, and not the cause. Notice the string of actions taking place on Christ’s initiative:

• I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me
• Because He considered me faithful
• Putting me into service

Just taking a forward glance into verse 13 we see that this wondrous call of God is apart from any merit of Paul, as he tells us: “Even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.”
In fact, lets not stop there, lets go back, and see exactly where Paul was when Christ strengthened him, considered him faithful, and put him into service.
Turn with me to Acts 9:1-6. Here we read the account of Paul, or Saul’s conversion.

“Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” and he said, “Who are You, Lord?” And He said, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do.”

Notice the lack of choice given to Saul here, he is knocked off his horse, blinded, told where to go, and what he “must do.”

God certainly didn’t consider Paul faithful because of his actions against the Christians, on the contrary, God considered Paul faithful because of His choice for Paul’s life. In the same account of Paul’s conversion, look at verse 15 “But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel;”

The Greek word used here for “chosen instrument” is Ekloge: this is literally rendered vessel of election, and defined in Thayer’s Theological Greek dictionary as “the act of God’s free will by which before the foundation of the world He decreed His blessings to certain persons”

This same word is used a total of 7 times in scripture. Each time it appears, it is used to describe God’s sovereign choice in salvation.

• Here in Acts, 9:15
• Romans 9:11; 11:5; 11:7; 11:28
• 1 Thessalonians 1:4
• 2 Peter 1:10
  

Romans 9:11 defines this word perfectly: “for though the twins were not yet born, and had not done anything good or bad, in order that God’s purpose according to His choice might stand, not because of works, but because of Him who calls.”

Here we see the call of God, unaffected by our choices, works or our will. God makes the choice that affects our future, it’s not the other way around.