I Am Chief - Pastor Stacey Shiflett

Watch this Western Sunday message here:

I Am Chief

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.

JOKE 1:

The Indian chief goes to the Medicine Man because he hasn't been sleeping well...

The Medicine Man asks, "Anything in particular causing the problem?"

The chief replies, "Well, I'm just having strange dreams."

The Medicine Man asks, "What type of dreams are you having, Chief?"

And the chief tells him, "Some nights I dream I'm a wigwam, other nights I dream I'm a teepee."

The Medicine Man advises him, "I wouldn't worry about it. You're just two tents."

JOKE 2:

The Lone Ranger walked up and found Tonto lying down with his ear to the ground.

“What can you tell me, Tonto?”

After a pause, Tonto said quietly, “Big wagon. Pulled by brown horse and black horse. Old man driving wagon. Woman sitting beside old man. Many pots and pans hanging on wagon. Wagon have squeaky wheel.”

“Wow! You mean you can tell all that by putting your ear to the ground?”

“No, Kemosabe. Wagon run over Tonto!”

Today is Western Sunday! I love Western Sunday. I always try to preach a message with a western theme or title. I was reading these verses several weeks ago and I realized that this was exactly what the Lord wanted me to preach this morning. I would like to take this verse and break it down into three sections.

I. The Worthy Saying

·        15a This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation,

The message you are about to hear is for ALL.

And you have the same opportunity afforded every person that has ever heard it: accept it or reject it.

Those are the only two options you have.

The saying that you are about to hear is a FAITHFUL SAYING.

God has never changed the message.

It has been the same for every generation.

From the days of Cain and Abel, the message has been the same: faith and acceptance or rejection.

John 1

·        10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

·        11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

·        12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Jesus compared the generation of his day to the days of Noah.

Luke 17

·        25 But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

·        26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

They ignored the message of Noah.

The message of salvation, hope, provision for the coming judgment of God.

They heard it and mocked him, but they did so to their own destruction.

Today – people have the option to believe it or not believe it.

They have the choice to accept it or reject it.

But I want to echo what Paul said - This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation!!!

II. The World’s Savior - …Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

Make no mistake – Jesus came into this world to save the world.

The word WORLD in our text is the same word WORLD that we find in John 3:16.

Jesus knew this, and He repeated it often.

·        Mark 16:15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

·        John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

·        John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

John 3

·        16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

·        17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 4

·        41 And many more believed because of his own word;

·        42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

·        John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

2 Corinthians 5

·        18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

·        19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

·        1 John 4:14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son [to be] the Saviour of the world.

III. The Worst Sinner - …to save sinners; of whom I am chief.

CHIEF: first in rank

Paul considered himself the worst sinner that God had ever saved.

Paul acknowledged that he was…

A. Injurious to the People of God …Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious:

Paul was a terrorist to the early church.

INJURIOUS: an insolent man; one who, uplifted with pride, either heaps insulting language upon others or does them some shameful act of wrong

The Bible gives us an indisputable record of the injury that Paul brought on the church.

Paul was present at the murder of Stephen.

Acts 8

·        1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

·        2 And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him.

·        3 As for Saul, he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison.

Let’s just dissect these verses and get a glimpse into the life of Saul before he got saved.

Then we will understand why he considered himself to be the chief of sinners.

·        He stood and guarded the coats of those stoning Stephen to death. (Acts 7:58)

·        He consented unto his death. CONSENT: to be pleased at the same time with, consent, agree to; to applaud

·        He made havock of the church.

HAVOCK: to affix a stigma to, to dishonour, spot, defile; to treat shamefully or with injury, to ravage, devastate, ruin

·        Entering in to every house. Imagine the terror! I’m sure he didn’t ring the doorbell.

·        Haling men and women.

HALING: to draw, drag, of one before the judge, to prison, to punishment

Acts 9

·        1 And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest,

·        2 And desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

BREATHING: to inhale; threatenings and slaughter were so to speak the element from which he drew his breath

SLAUGHTER: murder, slaughter

BOUND: to bind, fasten with chains, to throw into chains

B. Ignorant of the Plan of God …but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

Ignorance is a terrible thing.

Paul wrote about it often.

But in his testimony, he acknowledged that he persecuted the church of God because of ignorance.

He didn’t know what he was doing.

Jesus acknowledged this on the cross.

·        Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.

Peter referred to it in Acts 3.

·        14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

·        15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses.

·        16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

·        17 And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers.

Paul knew from personal experience that the zeal of the Jews was not founded on truth.

Romans 10

·        1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.

·        2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.

·        3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Paul had compassion for those that were zealous, yet ignorant.

He could identify with that.

His spirit was stirred within him on Mars Hill when he witnessed the idolatry.

Notice his comment to them:

·        Acts 17:23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

C. Illustration of the Power of God

·        16 Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting.

PATTERN: an example; an outline; a sketch; a brief and summary exposition

What Paul is saying is this – if God can save me, He can save anybody!

·        Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

In Acts 1:8, Jesus commanded them to go unto the UTTERMOST.

That word means of rank, grade of worth, last i.e. lowest

REMEMBER: CHIEF means FIRST IN RANK.

UTTERMOST means lowest or last in rank.

If God can save Paul, he can save you!!