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The Book of First Timothy :
Message Eight
By Dr. Michael
Guido, D.D.
A reckless
sinner, Brownlow North, was converted and called to
preach. But his old companions didn't like what he
had to say because they wouldn't get right with God.
One day before he arrived at a church to preach, they
placed a list of his sins on the pulpit, with the
question, "How dare you preach to these people,
when you've been such a vile sinner?" When Mr.
North stood to his feet to preach, he read the letter
to the congregation. Then he added, "All this is
true - I was a degraded sinner. But, oh, how
wonderful is my Savior! He has washed away all my
sins in His atoning blood. I've come to plead with
you to take Him as your Savior, too." I'd like
to say the same thing to you. And that's exactly what
the apostle Paul says too. As we turn to 1st
Timothy 1:13 and 14, we get a glimpse of some of his
sins before his conversion and we see some
co-operating causes in his conversion.
First, there's
the Savior. He takes the initiative. It wasn't Adam
who sought out God after he sinned. It was God who
sought Adam. Hear Him as He says, "Adam, where
art thou?" It was God who sought out Abram while
he was an idolater. It was God who sought out Moses
while he was a murderer. The Lord Jesus was the prime
mover in the conversion of the Samaritan adulteress.
He spoke the first word. He said, "Give Me a
drink." The Lord Jesus was the prime mover in
the conversion of the cureless cripple at the pool of
Bethesda. He spoke the first word. He asked,
"Would you like to get well?" The Lord
Jesus was the prime mover in the conversion of the
mad man of Tarsus. He spoke the first word. As he was
nearing Damascus to destroy every Christian, a light
from heaven spotted down on him. He fell to the
ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul!
Saul! Why are you persecuting Me?" "Who is
speaking, sir?" Paul asked. And the voice
replied, "I am Jesus." Yes, it's the
Shepherd who seeks the sheep, not the sheep that seek
the Shepherd. How true it is that "we love Him
because He first loved us."
"Jesus,
my Savior, to Bethlehem came, laid in a manger to
sorrow and shame;
Oh, it was
wonderful, blest be His name, seeking for me, for
me."
"Jesus,
my Savior, in mercy and love, came from the mansions
of heaven above;
Tenderly
pleading for sinners like me, pleading for me, for
me."
"Jesus,
my Savior, the same as of old, while I did wander
afar from the fold;
Gently and
long He hath pled with my soul, calling for me, for
me."
Second,
there's the sinner. An eight-year-old girl, the
daughter of missionaries in the Belgian Congo, went
to the room of their guest and said, "May I ask
you a question? What does it take to be a
Christian?" "Daughter," replied Dr. E.
Stanley Jones, "it takes you."
"How?" you ask. There must be the human
answer to the divine appeal. God has given you a free
will. You can use that free will to receive the Lord
Jesus or to reject Him. You can use it to turn from
Him or to turn to Him. It's written in Matthew 18:3,
"Except ye be converted and become as little
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of
heaven." One version renders it, "Except ye
turn and become as little children, ye shall not
enter into the kingdom of heaven."
"Turn," you ask, "how?" You don't
have to search for God. He's seeking you. And He has
found you. You're just one step from Him. All you
have to do is to turn around. When you turn, you'll
find yourself in the arms of the seeking Savior.
Won't you turn now?
Third, there's
the saved. It's written in 1st
Timothy 1:14, "The grace of our Lord was
exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in
Christ Jesus." The apostle not only saw this
love in Christ, but also in the Christians, and
especially in Stephen. He was in complete agreement
with the killing of Stephen. The mob dragged him out
of the city to stone him. The official witnesses and
the executioners took off their coats and laid them
at the feet of Paul. Then, as the murderous stones
came smashing upon him, Stephen prayed, "Lord
Jesus, receive my spirit," and he fell to his
knees, crying, "Lord, don't charge them with
this sin! Forgive them!" I can't help but
believe that it was the love of Christ that Paul saw
in the love of this Christian that brought about his
conversion. Augustine said, "The church owes
Paul to the prayer of Stephen." However hard he
tried, Paul could never get away from the faith and
love of that Christian. There was in him no anger
like John, no doubting like Thomas, no cowardice like
Peter, only love like Christ. If you and I were more
like Christ we would win more to Christ.
copyright 2000 Guido Evangelistic
Association
All Scripture verses are
quoted from the New King James Version.
Click here to go
to the next message in this Sower Scripture Study on
the book of First Timothy.
This series of messages on the
books of the Bible were originally written for
broadcast on Dr. Guido's radio program, "The
Sower." They are collected and reprinted here
for your enjoyment and spiritual edification.
