September 25
Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 1
1 Timothy 1:11, “…in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.”
I happened upon a beautiful sunrise some time ago. Just breaking over the horizon, the sun lit up the sky as it peeked through some adjacent puffy clouds. Other feathery clouds reached out in all directions as if appointed to herald the dawning of a new day. The sun was dutifully fulfilling its daily ritual of bringing light to this part of the world, illuminating the beauty of God’s creation. God took out His brush and painted the sky, unveiling to us once again His Majesty. Our text speaks about such things. Only instead of the sun, it is the glorious gospel which works to display God’s glory.
I was watching the news the other day. So much bad news! I finally had had enough, so I turned the channel and instead watched an episode of the Flintstones. It was harmless and funny and made me laugh. A rock hit Fred and transformed him into a sophisticated Frederick. Only his family members and friends didn’t like the new version. It took another knock on the head to return him to his real self. If it were only so easy, to change us!
There’s so much bad news in our day, but it really shouldn’t surprise us. We live in a sin-cursed, broken world. It’s been that way since Adam and Eve made their tragic choice and disobeyed God. Their choice has direct relevance to all of us, since in Adam, we have all sinned (Romans 5:12). We are born that way—alienated from God and prone to making stupid choices leading to harmful results. Worse yet, as sinners, we lack the willpower or strength to change ourselves or control our destiny. The darkness of sin is pervasive and were it not for God’s intervention, there would be no hope for any of us.
Enter the good news. Our text speaks of “gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (1 Timothy 1:11)! No matter how pervasive the bad news is, the good news stands glorious and undiminished. Its message, Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead, is simultaneously simple and profound. First proclaimed by Peter on Pentecost, it has spread ‘round the world. Wherever it has been received, it has blessed lives with forgiveness, transformation, and the assurance of a future home in heaven. It took a knock on the head to transform Fred, a cartoon character. But we live in a real world, and nothing less than the gospel has the power of God to save and transform sinners.
The Apostle Paul had been a “blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” of Christ (1 Timothy 1:13). But then, by the mercy and grace of the Lord, he was saved. He received not only forgiveness, but he was also radically transformed. The greatest enemy of the church in his day was made to be the church’s greatest friend. He ultimately traveled thousands of miles, enduring much hardship and suffering, to share the good news which had worked to save him. His experience testifies to the power of the gospel, for if God could save such a man as Paul, then God can save anybody (1 Timothy 1:16).
Note the bookends to this beautiful text. Verse 11 speaks of the “blessed God,” literally the “to-be-praised” God! In verse 17, Paul, having shared of his testimony, breaks forth in praise, writing, “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” That’s where the gospel works to bring us! It speaks to the true nature of God and leads us to worship! Our God, who has intervened through Jesus, and His death for our sins and resurrection from the dead, to save us! Our God who did so despite the fact that we were at war with Him!
You don’t need to turn on the news to know that there is bad news in this world. And there are many voices singing that song. Let’s instead turn our attention to the beauty of the powerful-to-save good news which bears with it forgiveness and transformation and a heavenly hope. How we should thank God for the good news! Whenever it is received, the good news is like a glorious sunrise that erases darkness and reveals the beauty of our creator God. “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,” and that’s good news for us all (1 Timothy 1:11)!
“When I was young, I was sure of many things. But now that I am old, there are only two things which I am sure of: That I’m a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior!” – John Newton
He took my sins and my sorrows,
He made them His very own;
He bore the burden to Calv’ry,
And suffered and died alone.
When with the ransomed in glory
His face I at last shall see,
‘Twill be my joy through the ages
To sing of His love for me.
LookingtoJesus 