"HE CAME TO SAVE SINNERS"
I. "CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THIS WORLD." GOD KEPT HIS PROMISE AND SENT THE MESSIAH INTO THE WORLD.
A. Jesus is the Son of God, and was sent into this world by the Father.
B. Some 15 times in the gospel Jesus declares that the Father has sent Him.
C. He came on a divine mission.
D. Men were perishing in and because of sin.
1. In the beginning, God had warned that the consequences of sin was death.
2. God through Ezekiel the prophet said, "The soul that sinneth shall surely die."
3. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death.
E. Sin is deceitful.
2. Look how many are deceived by sin today.
a. Like many on the Titanic, they are partying as the ship is going down.
b. They are not aware of the pending disaster.
c. Much as the fool of whom Jesus spoke in the parable, they are making great plans for the future, not realizing that this is the last night they will be spending on the earth.
3. Like leprosy, the first thing that is destroyed is the nerve endings, so you lose all sense of feeling.
a. Paul spoke of those who were past feeling, and have given themselves over to lascivious living.
b. What a horrible thing when a person gets to the place where they can commit horrible acts of sin, and have no remorse.
c. That is where our society has come today.
d. Our children as the result of the overexposure to violence on T.V. are beginning to act out what has been programed into their brains, and we stand back shocked and wringing our hands wondering how little Johnnie could do such terrible things.
F. Sin is destructive.
1. It not only destroys you, it destroys those around you.
b. What you do has an effect on those around you.
c. How many children have been destroyed because of the sins of their parents.
1. We are constantly seeing young ladies in their 20's and 30's who are non functioning because of being sexually molested by their fathers when they were small little girls.
2. They cannot have normal relationships with men, cannot get married and have normal lives because some dad destroyed them for life because of his sin.
d. How many parents have been destroyed by the sins of children. Their lives have virtually come to an end as they grieve over their children destroyed as a consequence of sin.
2. It destroys a society.
a. Look at the great societies that rose in history, only to be destroyed by sin.
b. In speaking of those who would delight in the law of God and meditate in it, the psalmist said that they would be like trees planted by running streams whose leaf would wither and whatever he did would prosper.
1. The leaf would not whither speaks of continued life. They would not die off.
c. The prophet Micah said, "He has shown you O man what is good, and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God. Be fair, show mercy, walk humbly before God."
G. Man had chosen the deadly path of sin. He was on the path to destruction.
H. God saw his desperate plight and had mercy on man, and sent His Son into the world to save the world from sin.
1. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
II. "CHRIST JESUS CAME INTO THE WORLD TO SAVE SINNERS."
A. The angel declared that to Joseph when he told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, "For she shall bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus for He shall save His people from their sins."
B. Jesus had made that claim, He said, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
1. The context of that verse is interesting, it was almost an apology. It is the Sunday School story of Zacchaeus.
2. The people were murmuring, saying, "He's gone to eat with a sinner."
3. In response to their criticism He said, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save those who are lost."
C. He did not come to show us the light, He is the light.
D. He did not come to show us the way, He is the way.
E. He did not come to tell us the truth, He is the truth.
F. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, Paul adds, "Of whom, I am the chief."
1. Speaking of his past life Paul said that he was a blasphemer, a persecutor, and injurious. vs 13
a. He speaks of forcing people to blaspheme Jesus.
b. When he was giving his personal testimony to King Agrippa Paul said,
Act 26:9 I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Act 26:10 Which thing I also did in Jerusalem: and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against [them].
Act 26:11 And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled [them] to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted [them] even unto strange cities.
c. Paul was an enemy of Jesus Christ, he was seeking to destroy the church, and to destroy the faith of those who believed in Jesus.
2. Paul had a reputation of persecuting the church and wasting it.
3. He saw himself as the chiefest of sinners.
a. It is sad that so many people are seeking to take that title away from Paul.
III. IN SPEAKING OF HIS CONVERSION PAUL SPEAKS OF THE MERCY OF GOD AND OF THE GRACE OF GOD.
A. In verse 16 he declares that,
1TI 1:16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.
1. In saving Paul, Jesus showed just how longsuffering He is to the sinner.
a. The idea being, if Jesus can save Paul, He can save anyone.
b. Some of you are guilty of some pretty horrible things.
c. There are a lot of things that you have sought to put out of your mind. You hate the thought of them.
1. But you cannot erase them, they always come back.
2. The psalmist said, "My sin is ever before me."
d. The feelings of guilt can do strange things to people.
e. They can create all kinds of bazaar behavior.
f. They can make you crazy.
2. But know this, "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."
a. He said that He did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.
b. He said a person that was well did not need a physician, but those who are sick.
c. He came to save you.
d. He died to save you.
B. Going back to the psalm that we read this morning, "Oh how happy is man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."
1. Note what David said happened when he was trying to hide his sin.
a. The weariness reached to the bones. You have heard the expression, "Bone tired."
b. There was a continual inward groaning.
c. God's hand was heavy upon him.
d. His strength was sapped as in the heat of summer.
2. Once sin was confessed and forgiven he bursts forth in a glorious rhapsody, "Oh how happy is the man whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered, Oh how happy is the man to whom God does not impute iniquity."
C. You can try to hide your sins, but that is always unsuccessful, God said, "You can be sure your sins will find you out."
D. You can confess your sins to Jesus, and He is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
Abbreviate Books
Use SBL Abbrev.
