Mercy; Immense and Free
A Sermon on 1 Timothy 1:13
Originally preached Dec. 19, 1954
Scripture
13Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.
Sermon Description
In this sermon on 1 Timothy 1:13 titled “Mercy: Immense and Free,” Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones focuses on Paul reminding Timothy of the mercy Christ showed him, even while Paul was persecuting the early church. Dr. Lloyd-Jones points to what Paul says earlier in the passage: people will try to distort the gospel. Dr. Lloyd-Jones reminds Christians to be weary of false teachers who often attempt to add to what Christ has already done. Christ’s death is enough for the payment of sin. No additional laws, rituals, or beliefs are necessary. This is the gospel: that Jesus Christ came to save sinners. But what of the law? Dr. Lloyd-Jones answers as Paul answered: the law could never save anyone. The law only reveals the sin in a person’s life and shows that he or she is in need of a savior. Paul also gives three facts about God’s salvation that tells about Him: that God is merciful, full of grace, and abundant in long-suffering. Dr. Lloyd-Jones says that God’s grace and mercy is available to everyone. God sees no difference among sinners. He is patient, withholding His judgment, allowing time for people to come to Him and accept His loving and free salvation.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul gives his Christmas message in 1 Timothy 1:15 - "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief."
- Paul puts this message in the context of his own personal experience. He was formerly a blasphemer, persecutor and injurious but obtained mercy.
- The problem of the world is sin. No moral teaching can help people in sin. The world needs the gospel.
- Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. This is the message of Christmas and the only hope for mankind.
- Paul looks back at his experience and sees mercy, grace and long suffering as the most wonderful qualities.
- Mercy is God's pity for sinners suffering the consequences of sin. God had mercy on Paul despite what he was.
- Grace is God's unmerited favor. The grace of God in Christ was exceeding abundant - it overflows and abounds. There is enough grace to cover all sins.
- God's grace does not just provide forgiveness but also gives new life in Christ. We are given regeneration and become new creatures.
- God's long suffering is his patience and slowness to anger. God has been long suffering with the world since the Fall. He gave the world 120 years before the Flood and bore with Israel's sins. God was long suffering with Judas even though he knew he would betray Jesus.
- God has been long suffering with the world since the cross, waiting for people to repent and believe. His goodness is meant to lead people to repentance.
- Paul saw mercy, grace and long suffering in his own experience. God is still the same today, waiting for people to repent and believe. The gate is still open.
Face to Face with Christ
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.