Christ Church Washington D.C.

Our scripture today for the sermon time comes from the epistle to Timothy the first one chapter 1 verses 15 through 17. Give careful attention to the reading of God’s holy and inspired word. This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the foremost. But I receive mercy for this reason.
That in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display His perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in Him for eternal life. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, God only wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. Word of the Lord.
Amen. Well, after having had one foot in two states over the last few months, I am grateful to be securely in the saddle here in Christ Church, D.C. And you don’t need me to tell you because if you have eyes in your head, you can see.
God has been extraordinarily gracious to this young church. Aslan is truly on the move in our time, and I am so humbled and grateful to be a part of it. And though expository preaching will be our bread and butter on the Lord’s Day, just line by line, precept upon precept, going through books of the Bible, I do want to take the first several weeks of my pastorate here to hit on some foundational themes.
To reinforce what we might call some cultural trusses, truths that undergird, truths that shape our life together at Christchurch DC. We’ll consider four or five of them over the coming weeks. But for today, what we’re going to consider is not so much one of the trusses, to stick to the metaphor, but it is the foundation itself.
It is the pillow that we lay our head on at night and find rest. Though there are many things that DC needs to hear, it is the primary message Christ Church DC exists to proclaim. And it is this, of course. The astonishingly good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The astonishingly good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what gospel means. It is a declaration from heaven to earth of good news. That’s what I want to do in our time today. To see it again with greater clarity. I want you, I want us to be re-enchanted with just how good the news is.
A savior Christ is and why it is especially good news for a city like Washington, D.C. Because what’s true, and the enemy knows it, that’s why there’s such resistance. What’s true is there is no more potent redemptive force in the world than a church who lives free. Gloriously free from guilt, from shame,
from condemnation, from the shackles of human sin that have afflicted us from the moment of our first fall. That is the most potent redemptive force in the world is a church who lives free from all of that. That’s what I’m arguing. Many texts we can choose from to get a rich summation of the gospel, John 3.16, Romans 6.23 come to mind,
Timothy today. Because here the apostles’ words show, with intensely personal effect, the freeing power of the gospel. Why the news is such good news. Paul knew it intensely, personally. With that, let’s turn to the text. Quick background. So this is from the first of two letters that Paul penned to Timothy. It was his protege.
His successor in ministry, he would leave Timothy at Ephesus to help pastor the Ephesian church. And so these letters are full of practical advice. They are a sort of church planters inspired manual about combating false teaching, about how to raise up more leaders and so on. But near the beginning of this first letter, Paul gives Timothy a brief biographical sketch of his call to his apostleship.
And he reminds Timothy that his calling, his appointment, his being raised up, as it were, was a sovereign act of God’s mercy towards him. And it’s in verse 15 where he distills it all down. And he fixes Timothy’s eyes here near the beginning on the glory of the gospel. He says this again, verse 15, this saying. So it is a saying for Paul. It is an anthem.
This saying is trustworthy and it’s deserving of full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I, Paul, am the worst, am the foremost. This is the one thing Timothy must never get over. This is the one truth Timothy must always hold out, must keep front and center,
proclaim and declare with a soaring and fervent urgency that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Despite the many things Timothy will be called to teach and exhort the church in, and there are many, this is the one thing he must never get over. This is the one thing all those other exhortations must be seen through.
He lets his mentee know that he himself, the one who is now being used by Jesus to take the gospel to the Gentiles and to the western hemisphere of the world, him, he was the worst of sinners. He was the most unworthy, unlikely one to be called an apostle. He wants Timothy to know this.
This is no self-deprecation with a spiritual veneer, which we’re all so good at. No, Paul in his previous life, he was formerly the church’s most vicious persecutor and prosecutor. He was the protester, not just with a silly bullhorn. He had the badge and the baton, and the apostle Paul levied physical assaults on the church of Christ as the gospel was going out.
Acts 8.3. Saul was ravaging the church, ravaging the church, going from house to house, dragging out men and women, and then committing them to prison. This is Paul. Acts 9.1. He breathed out threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord.
This is laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. That was Paul. So this is in Paul’s rearview mirror. All the days of his life, all his apostleship, this is part of his story. So when he declares Christ came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost, this is not a false humility on Paul’s part.
Formerly the church’s most belligerent opponent. And that is why, this is what he wants Timothy to see, that is why he relished so much in the gospel. It was not theory for him. It was not the bubble he penciled in on the spiritual scantron. What religion do you believe? Christian. It was not that for Paul.
This was experiential for the apostle Paul. And I want us as Christ’s church to have the same wonder, to have the same marveling, to have the same confidence in the power of the gospel that Paul had. Paul wants that. That’s what he’s telling Timothy. I am a trophy of grace so that the church will see that and say, if God can do that with him, what in the world could he not do anywhere with anyone?
That’s the point Paul’s making with this text. And so to that end, in the remainder of our time, I want to answer three questions to help us get more clarity on this. One, how did Christ Jesus save sinners? Two, why did Christ Jesus save sinners? And three, why is this especially good news for a place like Washington, D.C.? First one, how? How did Christ Jesus save sinners?
Paul tells Timothy, came into the world to save sinners, whom he’s the foremost. My question, what did he do when he came into the world that brought about our salvation? The answer to this most important of questions can be summed up in three words. Life, death, resurrection. Life, death, resurrection. If you’re wondering, what about ascension, pastor? That’s a pretty important part.
This is an entire sermon. We’ll get there in two to three weeks, so just be patient. Give me a minute. Today I want to focus on what Christ came, what he came to the earth to do to save sinners, which Paul is talking about. In the most basic terms, he saved sinners through his life, death, and resurrection. First, his life. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world, born of a woman, fully God, fully man. And as a man, he experienced
everything categorically that you have experienced, that I have experienced. He knew joy. He knew sorrow. He knew calluses on his feet, indigestion, laughter, tears, family drama, and great temptations. He was made just like his brothers. However, there was one way Jesus was unlike us. He never sinned. Jesus Christ, the man, fully God, fully
man, never sinned. Where the first Adam failed through his disobedience to the Father and fell into judgment, the second Adam succeeded through his perfect obedience to his Father. Every thought, every word, every deed of his life, he perfectly fulfilled the righteous requirement of the law. He was the only image bearer who ever bore the image of God. Accurate.
Perfectly. Jesus Christ saved sinners through his life. Next, death. Even though he never died, Christ willingly, obediently, even joyfully, according to Hebrews 12, died a horrific sinner’s death on a cross. And he did so to absorb the full fury,
That’s what he was doing. This is why in John 1.29, when John the Baptist sees him, he cries out, Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Speaking prophetically about his work on the cross. And he did this through his death. For the perfect God-man shed his blood for the life of the world. 2 Corinthians 5.21
So Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners through his life and through his death. But he did not remain dead. Three days later, Jesus burst the bonds of death by resurrecting bodily from the death and walking out of that tomb on the first day of the week, which was also the first day of a new creation.
And when he did that, he secured the hope that he had proclaimed during his life and had promised with precious clarity to Martha after her brother Lazarus died. John 11, 25 through 26, two of the golden verses of scripture, Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live. And everyone who lives and believes in me,
will never die. Will never die. On the cross, Jesus dealt with the problem of our debt. Through his resurrection, Jesus dealt with the enemy of death himself. He took the venom out of its sting and he secured our eternal life. And he made the hope of resurrection as inevitable as gravity is for us today. Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
And he did so through his perfect life, his atoning death, and his victorious resurrection. And here’s how the salvation happens. When we place our faith in Christ, when we claim Christ, throw ourselves on the mercy of Christ, we are covenantally bound to Christ, which means everything true about him becomes true about us.
Necessarily, as Martin Luther put it somewhere, by faith the Christian is so cemented to Christ that the two become as one person and cannot be separated. So, perfect fulfillment of the law in his life, that is your perfect fulfillment of the law in your life. His atoning death becomes your atoning death.
Yes, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. So, that’s the answer to the first question. How he did it. Life, death, resurrection. That becomes true of us by faith. Second question.
Why did he do it? Several ways to answer that question. Most obvious being to the praise of his glorious grace. This is why Paul ends our text today with such a soaring doxology of praise to God. So, that’s the answer. But I want to focus in on the specific insight that Paul gives in verse 16. He says this,
That is, God chose Paul to play such a visible, prominent role in the church as the apostle to the Gentiles, not to elevate Paul,
but so that he would be a shining trophy of the patience and the mercy and the power of Jesus Christ. The patience of Christ towards even the most unlikely, most unexpected, most scandalous person. Jesus center-staged Paul, not to glorify Paul, but so that as we’ve already said, we would say, well, if Jesus can do that with him, what could he not do?
In anyone and through anyone. There is nothing and no one so far gone that the arm of Jesus can’t reach, can’t baptize, can’t completely remake, and then enlist as an agent of redemption on earth right now. So beloved, understand. Understand that the gospel is set up in such a way as to magnify the grace and patience of Christ,
through what seems so foolish and so impossible by the world’s standards, through what the world mocks and scoffs and holds in derision. Consider Paul’s words to the Corinthians. This was a city who measured a man by whether he was highborn or whether he had great oratory power. And Paul says this, 1 Corinthians 26,
Thanks, Paul. Not many of you are powerful. Not many are of noble birth. And that’s not a bug. That’s a feature. God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise. God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. And then down a few verses, he tells them why. So that as it is written, let the one who boasts then,
let their boast be in the Lord. Let their boast be in the Lord. So Paul self-consciously understood this. He was chosen not for his unique role as apostle because of how impressive he was. He was chosen by God because of how impossible he was. God chose the chief of sinners so that we would stand astonished at the grace of Christ. There is no darkness so dark that his light cannot penetrate.
There is no liberal so hostile that his love cannot melt. You believe that? There is no Christless conservative so self-righteous that Jesus can’t truly humble and then use not just to advance a conservative movement but to advance the kingdom of God on earth. There is no city so swampy that his living water cannot refresh. There is no nation
so deep in prodigal rebellion that his spirit cannot blow across and bring true repentance and revival. That’s why Paul chose Paul. God chose Paul. So we would believe that. If he can do that with that guy, well I guess there’s nothing Jesus can’t do then. This is at the center of how Jesus will use Christchurch DC to make a dent in the darkness and to gain ground for his kingdom. It’ll come.
By us being a people who know this Pauline freedom through the gospel experientially and who live in light of it utterly free from shame, from guilt, the fear of being found out because we know we’ve already been found out by Jesus. It was while we were sinners, full knowledge that Christ said them. I love them because I love them.
Not because they’re lovable. And see, beloved, this is what those who oppose us cannot fathom. Like those even right outside. Of course, what they’re actually shrieking are lies and slander on their face. But our defense is not that we’re guiltless. No, there are actually plenty of true accusations that we can give to them. It’s like, that’s not true, but I actually have a whole bucket here that would actually land. That would actually be true.
It’s not that we are guiltless. Our defense is that we are Christ’s. As the meme goes, people try and insult me, but they don’t know that I sing hymns that call me worse things. You believe that and you’re untouchable. You believe that, there’s nothing Christ can’t accomplish through you. That’s true. We’re evidence of it.
We know that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, whom were the foremost. He didn’t come to improve the already impressive. He came to save the utterly impossible. Like Paul. Like you. Like me. And the reason we labor with such hope in a city like D.C. in a time like this amidst great resistance,
is because we know if he can redeem us, there is nothing he can redeem. We were the impossible case. And look what Jesus has done. And look what Jesus is doing. And all for his glory. So we’ve answered, how did Christ Jesus save sinners? Through his life, death, and resurrection. We’ve answered, why does Christ Jesus save sinners? To display the glory of his patience. Third, why is this especially good news for Washington, D.C.? Here’s why.
Every city needs this. There is no other name under heaven by which any men will be saved. Every city needs the gospel, especially D.C., because the first thing, the essential thing one must do if they would be saved, if they would know the freedom we’re talking about from guilt and shame, from the wrath of God, if you would receive that, the first thing you must do is to do what Paul did in our text today, and is acknowledge that you are a sinner.
To own before God that you are an utter train wreck in yourself spiritually. That you are what’s wrong with the world left to yourself. And that you have no hope apart from the grace of God. That’s the first thing you must do. And you probably don’t need me to tell you this is not the prevailing posture of Washington, D.C. Quite the opposite. In D.C., everyone is a master of evasion.
Everyone sees the sins of others, but not their own. Here, self-righteousness through comparison is as common as a cup of coffee. It is a city where even when real sin is exposed, the impulse is not humble repentance, throwing ourself on the grace of God. It’s PR damage control. It’s fine dirt on the other guy. It’s spin the story in any way to avoid it sticking to me, which of course are all just modern fig leaves.
Attempts to hide our sin and shame, which of course make us look as silly as our first parents did in the presence of omniscience. They put leaves on and they think they’ve hid themselves. It gives us a sense of comfort for a moment until the headline changes and you can breathe a sigh of relief. But what’s true is D.C. is full of people walking around with fig leaves, which means it’s a city burdened with shame and condemnation.
But this also means, hear me on this, believe on this, D.C. is primed for the Spirit of God to do a mighty reviving work because if ever there was a place that needs the astonishingly good news that you can admit that it’s all true, Jesus already knows and will save you there.
Totally. It’s in this place. But if we are going to be a potent witness to the power of the cross and to the power of Christ, we must have truly experienced it. We must be walking in that freedom as a church because you cannot really offer what you don’t really have. So I ask you, Christ Church, I ask you, Christian,
just how good the goodness is for you. Have you been gloriously freed from guilt and shame and sin and gunk and dumpster fires in the rearview mirror? Now, if you’re living presently in unconfessed sin of any variety, then you should feel shameful and guilty. That’s actually a healthy impulse. So the call for you is to sprint to the cross, deal with it, confession, repentance,
absolution. But if you’ve done that, are you living in the freedom that Christ has declared over you? The kind of freedom that Paul knew and could gladly declare inspiredly to those millions upon millions who would read his words afterwards. Is that you? If not, why not? I ask, is Christ not a sufficient savior for you? Is your throne higher than his in the judgment court?
Does your inner accuser have more authority than Christ’s decree of pardon? Of course not. So right now, you preach back to the voice of the satanic accuser. You hear the voice of Christ say to you, I came into the world to save sinners, especially the impossible cases, that I might confound the wisdom of man and exalt the power of my cross. J.I. Packer, in his classic work, Knowing God,
which is worth its weight in gold, says it this way, There is unspeakable comfort, the sort of comfort that energizes in knowing that God is constantly taking knowledge of me in love, watching over me for my good. And there is tremendous relief in knowing that his love for me is utterly realistic because it’s based at every point of prior knowledge of the worst thing about me.
There are many things that Washington, D.C. needs to hear. Our magistrates need to be instructed as what is wicked and what is righteousness. Our neighbors need to be served. We need to love one another. Many things the church needs to do, but this is the foundation. This is the soaring banner over our life together.
Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom we were the foremost. And if he can use us, there is nothing that he can’t do. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our Lord and our God, we believe where there is unbelief, help us. And now we would pray the way our Lord taught us to pray.