Christian, This Is Your Life!

17th Sunday after Pentecost, 9/15/13
1 Timothy 1:12-17


Christian, This Is Your Life!
I. An ugly life of sin
II. A beautiful life of praise


Did you watch television from 1952-1961? Only a fraction of us were even alive then. If you did watch TV then, you likely watched a show called “This Is Your Life.” Each week’s episode featured a different guest, often just a common person. The show’s host would read a biography of the guest’s life from a large red binder, focusing especially on the important people in the guest’s life. As he mentioned the names of those important people—family members, friends, teachers, coaches—those people would appear from behind a curtain and embrace the guest. It was heart-warming to watch.

In today’s world of high definition television with amazing graphics and intense drama, such a show doesn’t grab our attention. But in the 50’s and 60’s “This Is Your Life” enjoyed tremendous popularity.

Obviously, the Apostle Paul was never a guest on “This Is Your Life.” He didn’t even know what a television was. But he was able to review his life briefly to benefit his young co-worker, Timothy. Paul didn’t do so in order to brag to Timothy about what a wonderful life he had and all the important people in it. Far from it! Paul was not proud of a vast portion of his life. But he was eternally thankful for what Jesus had done for him.

And when you think about it, that aptly describes your life and mine as well. So that we never forget who we are and what Jesus has done for us, let’s review our lives as we listen to Paul review his. Sit back and listen. Christian, this is your life.

Part I.

If you were to ask people what they want out of life, I’m guessing that a fair number of them would state that they want to be happy. They realize that money isn’t the most important thing and you can’t buy happiness. So they try to attain happiness. They try to accept the hand that they’ve been dealt in life and make the best of it. They try to find satisfaction in the work they do, the family and friends they have, the hobbies that interest them.

Paul thought he had found happiness in life. As a young man he became a Pharisee, that self-righteous group of Jewish men who thought they were better than anyone else. In fact, Paul writes in another place that he was climbing the Pharisee ladder faster than anyone else. As a Pharisee he lived to persecute the church of God. He wasn’t content to limit his persecutions to the Christians in Israel. He was willing to cross borders to hunt them down. He was there giving his approval when Stephen was stoned to death. And all of this made him happy!

In fact, he thought he was doing God a favor. He felt God wanted him to have Christians arrested and imprisoned for their faith in Jesus as their Savior. He was under the impression that the way to heaven was by being a good Jewish person; in other words, keeping the all the laws that God had given the Jews about what to eat and what not to eat, what to touch and what not to touch. Paul was happy with his life because he thought God was happy with him.

But he couldn’t have been more wrong. The truth was that Paul’s life was an ugly life of sin. He told Timothy, “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man.” We just spoke about how Paul persecuted Christians. But in what way was Paul a blasphemer? To “blaspheme” means to speak against the only true God. Paul lived each day of his life as a Pharisee speaking terrible things against Jesus, the Son of God. And in his hatred of Jesus he got violent with those who called him their Savior. The root meaning of this word goes beyond being violent. It has a sadistic connotation to it. Paul enjoyed hurting them. He got a sick sense of satisfaction out of it. It was an ugly life of sin.

But it wasn’t over now that Paul was a Christian. Paul wrote, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Note that Paul isn’t speaking in the past tense here. He wrote “I am.” Literally he writes, “I am the first sinner” but he’s not bragging. He’s bemoaning the fact that his life is ugly with sin.
In his Letter to the Romans he writes, “For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. What I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:15, 19, 24). This was Paul’s life, and he admits it’s an ugly life. He admits there’s a daily battle going on inside him and evil defeats good over and over again. And it’s not just having trouble saying “no” to sin; it’s that he even has trouble saying “yes” to what is godly.

So there Paul sits on the set of “This Is Your Life” and he’s reading his biography and it’s painful. He has to admit some shameful things that he’s done, things he would much rather forget about. But he can’t. Persecutor. Blasphemer. Violent man.

But Paul is really reading the biography of every sinner, Christians included. Including me. Including you. Christian, this is your life—an ugly life of sin.

Of course I didn’t get what I just said out of the book How to Win Friends and Influence People. You didn’t call me to win your friendship. You called me to be your pastor who will share God’s truth with you. And that’s the truth. My life and your life are ugly lives of sin. No, we may not persecute Christians, but there are people we can’t stand and we wish terrible things for them, even though they’re people Jesus loves and for whom he died. We may not blaspheme Jesus, but every time we tell ourselves it’s OK to commit this little sin just this one time, we speak against him. We tell him in effect that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. And haven’t you at least once in your life enjoyed it when a despicable person has suffered? That’s no different than what Paul felt. When Paul says “I am the worst sinner” he wants us to say it along with him. Because if we won’t, then we draw the logical conclusion that someone else is. And that means we’re better than someone else and God should reward us for it. No, Christian, this is your life—an ugly life of sin.

Part II.

We enjoy hearing how people have worked hard to overcome some difficulty or tragedy in their life and have become something they can be proud of. Such stories tend to inspire us to do the same.

In the ugly story of Paul’s life, you don’t hear one word about what Paul did to turn his life around. Instead, you hear him only speaking about what Jesus did. Again, he writes, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Do you realize what an amazing truth that is? Don’t take it for granted! Jesus left eternal glory in heaven to win forgiveness and eternal life for sinners who often wanted to commit sin, sinners who wanted nothing to do with him and his salvation. There is no good reason in you and me that Jesus should do that for us. Not one!

So why would he do it? Paul writes about himself, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly.” And a little later he writes, “I was shown mercy.” Grace and mercy. You can view them as the flip sides of the same coin. Mercy is not getting the punishment you deserve. When the Lord Jesus appeared to Paul on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians, Jesus should have fried Paul right then and there. Make him suffer the way he made Christians suffer. But he didn’t. That’s mercy. And then Jesus poured out his grace abundantly on Paul. Through God’s word and the Sacrament of Baptism Paul received that grace and the forgiveness and eternal life it brings. Paul was a new man—a child of God.

As such Paul writes that he enjoyed God’s unlimited patience. Jesus never told Paul, “I’m giving you one more chance. If you slip up, I’m through with you.” Paul admitted to being a daily, wretched sinner and yet Jesus was patient with him as he is with every one of us.

And for that reason we live beautiful lives of praise to Jesus. Wait a minute! What happened with our ugly lives of sin? They been washed, they’ve been cleansed. They’ve been sanctified—made holy. By giving us faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit has made us holy. We are God’s saints. And saints live like saints. Your worship here is a part of that beautiful life. God is pleased when his people hear his word and praise him. But it isn’t limited to what happens in this house of God. Just as important—even more important—it’s your life out there. How do you carry out your life as a spouse, a parent, a relative, a friend, an employee, a student? As you carry out your calling in life according to the will of God—whatever that calling may be at the moment—your life as a Christian is a beautiful life of praise, just as Paul’s was. That’s what led Paul to close our text with these words of praise, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.” Christian, this is your life, a life of beautiful praise.

How well does that describe your life? Only you and your Savior can answer that question. When my day is marred by doubts about what Jesus can do for me, when my thoughts and desires are marred by lust and greed and discontent, when my words reveal the sinful impatience of my heart, when I fail to be considerate others because I’m too busy thinking about myself, when I think the worst of others instead of the best, then my life isn’t such a beautiful life of praise. That’s why we spoke about our ugly lives of sin earlier—so that we admit with Paul we are the worst. And then Jesus does what he does daily for those who trust in him—he forgives us by his life, death and resurrection. He stands the fallen sinner up and empowers us to live for him, a beautiful life of praise. Christian, this is your life—a beautiful life of praise! May Jesus make it so today and every day! Amen.