THE SAVIOUR OF SINNERS
Phil Saum
1 Timothy 1: 15 (to “sinners”)
What a beautiful verse this is, “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. We started this occasion by singing:
Christ is the Saviour of sinners (Hymn 122).
I want to say something, briefly, about the Saviour of sinners. The Saviour of sinners is available to you today. What a wonderful day we live in! We live in the day of grace. We live in the day of which it says in another passage of scripture, “behold, now is the well-accepted time; behold, now the day of salvation”, 2 Cor 6: 2. What a wonderful time we live in! The world cannot come close to giving you anything like this. There is so much in the glad tidings, so much for your blessing. You might think the riches of this world will satisfy. The more you get, the more you want, and you will never be satisfied. The only way that you can get satisfaction is in coming to know the Lord Jesus as your Saviour; we need the Lord Jesus as our Saviour. We sang of Him as ‘the Saviour of sinners’ and how He is so! This verse that I have read says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”: that is you and me!
Before I go into more detail about this verse I want to start at the beginning of the verse which says, “Faithful is the word”. Another has said that this word can be changed for ‘true’: ‘true is the word’. This book, the Bible, is God’s word, and everything in it is true. It says in John 10: 35, “the scripture cannot be broken”. How true it is! Think of the things of this world: men lie; they make false promises that never come to pass. You see that in politicians; they promise things which never come to fruition. In God’s glad tidings things are true; I can tell you today, “behold, now is the well-accepted time”. The Saviour is being presented to you; the Saviour is available to you; and you can come into blessing because of everything that He has done.
It says, “faithful is the word”. It goes on to say, “and worthy of all acceptation”. It does not just say, ‘worthy of acceptation’, but “worthy of all acceptation”. Think of that, “worthy of all acceptation”! It is thoroughly trustworthy. I can say, and many in this room can say, God’s word in the glad tidings is thoroughly trustworthy. Everything in this Book is thoroughly trustworthy, and then this scripture goes on, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. Do you know Jesus? He came into this world and gave Himself a ransom. The verse says, “Christ Jesus came into the world”. That would refer you back to 2 Corinthians 8. It says there, “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sakes he, being rich, became poor, in order that ye by his poverty might be enriched”, v 9. Well, think of that! The Lord Jesus came into this world, into this scene, from scenes of glory. He came into this scene from Godhead glory. One has said He came here from Godhead glory, and went to the place of a skull and died. Think of His down-stooping, when He came into this scene! He came from the heights of glory, the stoop of love. He came in this way because He knew He had to do the will of His God and Father. He knew that “without blood-shedding there is no remission” (Heb 9: 22) of sins.
We are all sinners: the verse speaks of that: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. He knew that “without blood-shedding there is no remission” of sins and we need to come to that, that we are all sinners. You need to come to it that you are a sinner. I knew someone who said that she was not a sinner. How solemn that was to speak to someone who was adamant they were not a sinner! She thought that doing good works would get her into heaven. Dear friend, we are all sinners and we need to come to that. You need to come to it that you are a sinner before a holy God.
God is a God of love and desires you to come into blessing. He gave His very best, His only-begotten Son. It says in John 3: 16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son”. God gave His very best in order that you and I could come into blessing, that you and I, as I read in 2 Corinthians 8, “by his poverty might be enriched”. Think of that, “by his poverty”. The Lord Jesus came into this scene. He was rich but then He ”became poor, in order that ye by his poverty”. What would His poverty speak of? I mentioned the place of a skull. He was here doing the will of His God and Father, obedient in every way. “Morning by morning” He had His ear opened to His God and Father (Isa 50: 4); He listened in every way. He walked in the way that was pleasing to His God and Father. He “did no sin”, 1 Pet 2: 22; He “knew not sin” (2 Cor 5: 21); and “in him sin is not”, 1 John 3: 5.
The Lord Jesus came into this scene as a Man and He was unique in every way. All of us are sinners, but the Lord Jesus was without sin and walked in a way of pure perfection. He knew that “without blood-shedding there is no remission” of sins, and went the way of the cross. Men put Him on the cross. It is said, “When will he die, and his name perish?”, Psalm 41: 5. Think of the hatred of men, men in darkness, but think of God’s love still shining out towards you and me. Think of the way that the Lord Jesus went! He suffered at the hands of men. He suffered carrying His own cross. He was buffeted; He was spat upon. Think of all these terrible things that He had to endure! We will never fully comprehend what the Lord Jesus went through, but He went through it to complete the will of His God and Father; and He went through it in order that you and I should come into blessing.
He was put on the cross; He was pinned to that cross, the nails put through His hands and through His feet, and He was raised up on that cross. This was the biggest spectacle the world has ever seen. The One who was sinless, “sin apart”, endured the judgment that was borne by the very worst criminals of the time. The Lord Jesus stayed there on the cross, and the three hours of darkness came, and He suffered from God. How darkness came in, so that there was what was hidden from man, but the Lord Jesus went through it all, and then He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. He said, “It is finished”, John 19: 30. Think of that One who came into this scene to save us from our sins! He died on the cross. He not only died on the cross, but His blood was shed. A Roman soldier “pierced his side with a spear, and immediately there came out blood and water”, John 19: 34. Thanks be to God that the blood of the Lord Jesus was shed so that we can come into blessing.
How wonderful it is that you can come into blessing because of the Lord’s finished work. Think of that, ”without blood-shedding there is no remission” of sins. It says in the first epistle of John, “and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin”, chap 1: 7. Well, dear friend, how wonderful that is! How can we measure the “poverty” the Lord Jesus went through that we might be “enriched”, the One who came into this world to save sinners! He has indeed paid the price in order that we might come into blessing.
But I do not preach One who is dead; I preach One who is living, who came out of the grave. In 1 Corinthians 15 it says that, “Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures; and that he was buried; and that he was raised the third day, according to the scriptures”, v 3, 4. He went into the grave and then He was “raised up from among the dead by the glory of the Father”, Rom 6: 4. He appeared to those that loved Him and then He went up into heaven, and it is from that position the gospel has come to us, and He can be presented to you as the Saviour of sinners.
How wonderful it is “that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. Do you know Him as your Saviour? I know Him as my Saviour, but do you know Him as your Saviour? Well, He is available to you. You can put away all your worries; you can put away all your concerns. This world can give you nothing like this, but as knowing the Lord Jesus as your Saviour you will be saved for time and for eternity. The things of this world are only for a time, but the things of God are for eternity. God “desires that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth”, 1 Tim 2: 4. God would say, “Come now, let us reason together … though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow”, Isa 1: 18. That opportunity is available for you tonight. The One who came into this world to save us from our sins has completed the work. His blood has been shed, and you can be justified before a holy God. You can be justified because of the shed blood of the Lord Jesus. What a One there is to speak of! I cannot speak of anyone more favourable than the Lord Jesus, the One who is the Saviour of sinners. As we sang together:
This is the Saviour for me!
Can you say that? Can you say that truly for yourself?
Well, the opportunity is yours tonight. I cannot speak about tomorrow. “Now is the well-accepted time; behold, now the day of salvation”. Time runs away with us all; things move on so fast. I do not want to put fear into you. The gospel is glad tidings, but this could be the last gospel preaching ever preached. Have you ever thought about that? It could be your last gospel preaching; it could be the final gospel preaching that any of us come under the sound of. Do not reject the Lord Jesus as your Saviour! Accept Him as your Saviour! There is nothing else in the world that can compare, nothing that we can speak of in this world that can save you for time and for eternity. May God bless the word and may each one of us know the Saviour for ourselves!
For His Name’s sake.
Aberdeen
26th January 2025