Sunday Link – September 14, 2025 – 1 Timothy 1:12-17

WELCOME and THANKS for joining us.

OPENING COMMENTS

• The theme for this week is Jesus welcomes and save sinners.
• The selected readings that support the theme are … Psalm 14:1–7; Jeremiah 4:11–12, 22–28; 1 Timothy 1:12–17; Luke 15:1–10.
• Our sermon will be based on the passage in 1 Timothy 1:12–17, which offers more encouragement that where we begin our journey in seeking God is not where we’ll end up, thanks to the devotion of our triune God.

OPENING CHORUSES

OPENING PRAYER

BIBLE READING

1 Timothy 1:12-17

And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry,  ¹³ although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and anbinsolent^{[violently arrogant]} man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.  ¹⁴ And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant, with faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.  ¹⁵ This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.  ¹⁶ However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.  ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to  God^{[NU~the only God]} who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

SERMON

Unstoppable Mercy

1 Timothy 1:12–17 NRSVUE

In his book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey tells the following story about an incident on a New York subway:

I was riding a subway on Sunday morning in New York. People were sitting quietly, reading papers, or resting with eyes closed. It was a peaceful scene. Then a man and his children entered the subway car. The man sat next to me and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to his children, who were yelling, throwing things, even grabbing people’s papers. I couldn’t believe he could be so insensitive. Eventually, with what I felt was unusual patience, I turned and said, “Sir, your children are disturbing people. I wonder if you couldn’t control them a little more?”

The man lifted his gaze as if he saw the situation for the first time. “Oh, you’re right,” he said softly, “I guess I should do something about it. We just came from the hospital where their mother died about an hour ago. I don’t know what to think, and I guess they don’t know how to handle it either.”

Suddenly, I saw things differently. And because I saw differently, I felt differently. I behaved differently. My irritation vanished. I didn’t have to worry about controlling my attitude or my behavior. My heart filled with compassion…Everything changed in an instant.

Covey’s story helps us think about the complex nature of being human.  People are subject to unseen emotional circumstances, and unfortunately, we don’t often give one another the benefit of the doubt.  We don’t think of the many reasons for unexpected behavior, and we often don’t allow room for others to change and transform over the course of a life.  Our sermon text shows us that God, on the other hand, is always ready to extend mercy, love, and acceptance, no matter our starting point.

Let’s read 1 Timothy 1:12–17 NRSVUE.

I am grateful to Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful and appointed me to his service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence.  But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners — of whom I am the foremost.  But for that very reason I received mercy, so that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display the utmost patience as an example to those who would come to believe in him for eternal life.  To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.  Amen.

Context of 1 Timothy

1 and 2 Timothy and Titus are referred to as the “pastoral letters or epistles.”  They offer advice for local churches and the various issues they face during that period.  Some scholars question whether Paul wrote these letters because their style and content vary from the typical letters written to churches by Paul.  But whether Paul wrote these letters or someone else, they offer us insight into the gospel.

Our sermon passage for today contains a testimony reminding Timothy and the rest of us of God’s unstoppable mercy and deep desire for our transformation.

Let’s consider the following themes: transformation doesn’t require a good starting point,  and  the mercy of the triune God expresses divine love.

Transformation doesn’t require a good starting point

The author of 1 Timothy wants readers to know that you don’t need to be a good person to be transformed by God and serve others.  The passage is worded this way in The Message Bible:

I’m so grateful to Christ Jesus for making me adequate to do this work.  He went out on a limb, you know, in trusting me with this ministry.  The only credentials I brought to it were violence and witch hunts and arrogance.  But I was treated mercifully because I didn’t know what I was doing — didn’t know Who I was doing it against! Grace mixed with faith and love poured over me and into me.  And all because of Jesus.  1 Timothy 1:12–14  (The Message)

We may not know with certainty who the author is, but it is a person in whom God is “trusting with this ministry.”  It would appear the author is in a position to write an instructional letter to Timothy.  The author shares what sounds very much like a testimony or a conversion experience — moving from being a man of violence to a servant of the gospel.

We all need God’s grace (Romans 3:21–26), regardless of where we are in our life’s journey. And when we experience God’s loving presence, we are more likely to model his grace for others.

The mercy of the triune God expresses divine love

The result of receiving this mercy and grace is that it spills out to others in the form of service as well as worship and praise to God.  The author of 1 Timothy cites his own experience and explains that it is applicable to everyone.  Let’s read it from The Message translation again.

Here’s a word you can take to heart and depend on: Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners.  I’m proof — Public Sinner Number One — of someone who could never have made it apart from sheer mercy.  And now he shows me off — evidence of his endless patience — to those who are right on the edge of trusting him forever.  Deep honor and bright glory to the King of All Time – One God, Immortal, Invisible, ever and always.  Oh, yes!  1 Timothy 1:15–17 (The Message)

Theologian N.T. Wright compares Paul’s transformation by God with the Lone Ranger’s experience with his faithful horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger was a television show from 1949–1957, and it featured a former Texas ranger who sought to bring justice to outlaws who had somehow escaped from typical law enforcement.  Wright recalls that the horse Silver was wild and assumed to be unbreakable, even by the Lone Ranger’s companion Tonto.  But somehow the Lone Ranger manages to make Silver his own, and Silver provides him faithful and intuitive service.

Wright explains the comparison like this: “from the moment when the Lone Ranger shows that he can tame the untamable horse and make it into his servant, and even in a measure his friend, the viewer knows that he will be able to conquer all other obstacles in his path as well … And that is precisely the point Paul is making when he talks of what God had done in his life.  God has taken the wildest, most violent of blaspheming persecutors, and has transformed him into not only a believer but also a trusted apostle and evangelist.  If God can do that, there is nobody out there, no heart so hard, no anger so bitter, that it remains outside the reach of God’s patient mercy” (p. 11).

Paul becomes a model or pattern for the way God seems to work in the lives of those who recognize their need for divine mercy.

While one might think these verses are all about Paul, we can notice that they bring us back to praise God (1 Timothy 1:17), emphasizing the significant role worship plays in our lives.  Mercy begets gratitude and love that reach far beyond us.   Barclay writes that Paul’s testimony was evidence of his desire to show his gratitude:

“The memory of his sin was the constant urge to greater effort.  It is quite true that a man can never earn the approval of God or deserve his love; but it is also true that he can never stop trying to do something to show how much he appreciates the love and the mercy which have made him what he is.  Whenever we love anyone, we cannot help trying always to demonstrate our love.”  

Praise and worship are our response for grasping the magnitude of mercy we’ve been shown.

As shown in the opening story about the man on the subway, we’re often quick to judge others rather than offer mercy and grace.  Thankfully, our triune God is more than willing to shower us with unstoppable mercy, and Jesus Christ is the incarnational evidence of God’s love.  No matter where we begin our journey in seeking God, we can be sure that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have been seeking us first.

Call to Action: When you feel frustrated in traffic or with a coworker or family member, consider other reasons that might explain any upsetting behavior.  Take a breath and then pray and ask God to help you offer mercy, patience, and grace, remembering the divine mercy and grace that has been shown to you.

CLOSING SONG 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray: Father … Amen.  

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• There will be a discipleship class at 10:30 a.m.
• We plan to have Sunday School at 12:00 noon