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12/4/11 God Our Savior

12/4/11 God Our Savior

Key verse: 1 Timothy 2:3-4                                    Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 12-4-11
Inspired by a message delivered by @Jeremy Hajeck@

“This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

This afternoon I would like to talk about foundations, in particular, spiritual foundations. What does our spiritual foundations look like? Do you have a spiritual foundation? Did you know that the Bhurijkhalifa Tower in the UAE is the tallest building in the world? It cost over 1.5 billion dollars and took six year to build. Even more impressive are the 192 support piles, 1.5 meters by 43 meters, sunk 50 meters into the ground. The foundation holes took one month to dig and the foundation construction took another six months. There is another famous building in Italy called the leaning Tower of Pisa. It is only 56.7 meters tall, weighing only 16,000 tons, but it is crooked by 3.9 meters at the top. The reason is the tower has a poor foundation, only three meters deep. It is built on loose soil and so it cannot stand under its own weight.

In the same way Apostle Paul was combating the loose foundation of idol worship, heresies, and all kinds of false teachers in Ephesus. He wrote to Timothy knowing he was going to face the troubles as they grew to be a leaders and minister for church. How could Timothy possibly hope to survive spiritually and not topple over? How can we hope to survive spiritually in our own generation? What should be our spiritual foundation be based on? Obviously, God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope is the only sure and solid foundation fit to be the foundation of God’s household. And so, it is imperative for a good minister of Christ Jesus to know God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope. Let’s learn more about these things.

Part l: God’s Awesome Nature

In the opening part of Chapter 1, Paul uniquely explained about God. To know God, Paul had to first explain who God is. And so he wrote in 1:17, “Now to the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever, Amen!” He wanted to make sure that his readers had the correct view point of who God is. How is God portrayed in today’s society? Is God like the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel reaching out to Adam? Does he sound like Morgan freeman on “Bruce Almighty”? Or does it even matter what we think about God? Yes it does.

What does the Bible say? Let’s read 1:17 again, “Now to the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever, Amen!” Look at the words used. Especially look at the depth of the words. “king…eternal…immortal…invisible…honor…glory…forever.” Let’s think about four of these powerful words. First, Paul calls the God, “the king eternal.” What is a king? A king is someone who rules with authority, power, majesty, and with total control over his subjects. God is not up for re-election in 2012.

Second, how long has he been king? He is King eternal. He is king for all eternity past and all eternity future. God is not limited to time and space like we are. Before the creation of anything material, there was God. He has no beginning and he has no end. He is eternal!

Third, Paul goes on to explain that God is immortal, which means, lives forever. Immortal means that there is no death in God. God lives forever and he is alive today! The Greek gods and the idols of Timothy’s day were all lost and destroyed by the passage of time. Some people have called our culture, “the culture of death”. We are surrounded by countless elements of death in movies and on television. But in God there is no death. He is immortal and the source of eternal life!

Fourth, Paul says that God is invisible. This is true. We are all worshipping here. But we know that Jesus is with us, here… now. How do you know? Do you see him? No. He is invisible. He is not like a stealth fighter jet or camouflage. No mortal eyes can see God while living in this world. But God does choose to reveal himself to those who humbly seek him. We can see God among us with the eyes of our hearts. We can feel his presence, but not always (never depend on a feeling in regards to your faith in God.) We can see the glory of God in the acts of love and faith of those around us. The Holy Spirit confirms God’s presence among us. Let us open the eyes of hearts today to behold the glory and majesty of the invisible God, for those who seek him early find him. (Proverb 9)

Paul ends his letter to Timothy in the same way he started. Look at chapter 6:15-16, “…God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.” First, Paul describes “God the blessed and only Ruler?” A blessed Ruler is one who provides and is a source of comfort to his people. God is our sovereign ruler. He is the source of all of our comfort. He alone is splendid and glorious because he alone is immortal and the source of eternal life. God is called the only Ruler. God is the only one who can control history and is never shaken by the things that people are shaken by. God is like a deep ocean current unaffected by the surface squalls. God is the ruler of not only history, but also of all humanity, even down to our mind, body and soul. God is in control. Entrust the events of your life and your future to God, your Ruler.

God lives in unapproachable light. This is in reference to the holiness of God. Holiness means to separate, that is, to be set apart for God. At Mount Sinai, those who heard the voice of God begged that no further word be spoken to them. (Heb 12:19). When Isaiah the prophet saw the train of the robe of the Lord in the temple he said, “Woe to me!” “I am ruined!” (Isa 6:5) God lives in unapproachable light so that no one can approach him. He is the King of kings and Lord of lord, the great and glorious God. No other sovereign can hold a candle to our God.

Why did Paul write about God in this way? Timothy lived in Ephesus where there were many gods and many idols. Christians were surrounded by false religions and poor spiritual foundations. This description of God to Timothy was very clear and Paul’s description of God’s glory moves our own hearts! It is almost as if his words flow out in a joyful crescendo. Paul could speak about God like this because he had a personal encounter with the living God. When we encounter this God we too are changed. How can we not be? Paul was changed by God. If Paul had not been changed by God he could never have wrote this way and spoke this way… impossible! Let us make it our priority to meet the same God so that our lives may be changed and thus have the same solid foundation in understanding and beholding the nature of God as Paul did.

Part ll: God Our Creator And Provider

When we have a solid foundation in our understanding of the nature of God, we begin to see God working, creating and providing all good things. Look at 6;13a, “in the sight of God who gives life to everything…” There is no competing creation force in this universe, only our God and God chooses to use his almighty power to be our provider.

There were false teachers in Timothy’s time and false teachers today who try to overthrow the clear teachings of God and his provision. Look at 1 Timothy 4:3-4, “They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,” God provide everything good so that we can praise God and put our hope in God. Paul urges all believers to put their hope in this God. Look at 1 Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” In this last verse of 1 Timothy, Paul commands those who have hope in the riches of this world to have hope in the true living God who provides good things. We receive everything from God.

Knowing God the creator and our provider allows us to find the deep meaning of our lives. In 1721, at the age of 17, the American theologian, Jonathan Edwards, came to what he called a “delightful conviction” upon meditation on the meaning of 1 Timothy 1:17 which reads, “17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” He later remarked “…I thought myself, how excellent a being that was, how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God and be rat up to him in heaven; and be as it were swallowed up in him forever.” You can not be swallowed up to an idol. You can not be embraced by false religion . But the living God knows us and loves us and is working in our lives- he dwells among us.

Paul know this truth so well and he wrote in 1 Timothy 3:15, “ if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.” If God is living then we Christians conduct our live before him. When we do, our lives will be in contrast to any idol that rules peoples’ hearts and lives in this world.

Part 111: God our Savior.

In Timothy’s time the church in Ephesus was surrounded by Artemis worshippers. There was a great temple built to her, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus was also the center of Roman Emperor worship. Mystery religions abounded…religions that taught austerity and asceticism and mystery religions that taught indulgence and abundance. The City of Ephesus was also a center of political, financial and military power. All these things were competing for the hearts of the Christians in Ephesus. Paul needed Timothy to know God as our only Savior so that Timothy could lead the people to the only God who could save their souls.

These false religions were out to destroy people and catch them in behaviors that God did not command. The Caesars rose and fell. Mystery religions came in and out of favor. Even the God Artemis’ image fell from the sky one day and she became the God of Ephesus at some point in time. Now she is no more. In opposition to all this Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 4:10, “That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”

The living God is truly great! God’s ultimate purpose here is to make known that he wants all people to be saved. When we recognize this fact we cannot but praise God for his greatness. Paul mentioned this in the opening verse in his letter. 1 Timothy 1:1 reads, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,” This is not a new concept. The word, “Savior” emphasizes that God wants to save his people. God’s saving nature is revealed throughout the scripture. According to the Old Testament, God is called “our Savior” 35 times and in the New Testament God is called “our Savior” 24 times.

This is God’s heart’s desire for all people. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 reads, “for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. 3 This is good, and pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” And 2 Peter 3:9 reads, “9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” Paul wrote with a sense of problem that people ultimately needed a Savior. It is reported that as William Carrey taught young pupils geography at the village school sometimes he would come to tears when pointing to continents where the gospel had not been preached. Isaiah 43:11 reads, “1 I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.”

Without a foundation that God is our Savior we will get lost in the religious ideas and worldly philosophies of our day. The Bible says that though mankind is a noble creature, created in the image of God, mankind is also sinful and prone to evil. We are in a desperate need of a Savior. Who can save us? God alone is our Savior. What happens without God our Savior? Many a person tries to invent their own way to God based on their own achievements or ideas. But the person who does not know God, can not but suffer and perish in their sins and eventually be eternally cut off from God. (Some refer to this as hell.) That sounds harsh. But it is what the Bible says. God wants good ministers of Christ Jesus to know his true character and to hold firmly to these deep truths of the faith. Knowing the fundamental truths about God lays a basic foundation for Christian life and ministry. Without knowing these fundamental truths, it is easy to stray into false doctrines.

Where are your foundations built? As a young man my foundation was solely built on my own ability and desire to fulfill my own pleasures. I could not have chosen a worse foundation. This led me to live a fruitless and meaningless life cut off from God because of my sin. As a young Christian and even until now, my foundation was based on my own self righteousness and good deeds. How foolish that I thought that I could make my own good foundation without depending on God my Savior!

God has provided me with a wonderful family, a good church and a mission to serve NIU and the young people of DeKalb with the Gospel. God gave me the most spiritual and beautiful wife, Julie, to serve his ministry with. But yet, the immortal and only Ruler, Jesus, revealed my weak foundation. Why did he do this? Because God wants me to know that he alone is my Savior and my only solid and sure foundation of the truth.
Today we learned about foundations. We need to have a firm and solid foundation in God our Savior and Christ Jesus our hope. We learned about God’s awesome nature. Our God is eternal. He is invisible and lives in unapproachable light. But yet he makes himself accessible to us, through his grace and forgiveness…through the gospel. God is our creator and provider. Think about what he has provided for us…a church, family, ministry and way to be saved. He gave us a savior, Jesus, whom we are worshipping this Christmas. Though God is extremely holy, and lives in unapproachable light, we can approach him through faith and by his grace. When we approach our God by faith his glorious light shines on our hearts and drives out the darkness. Jesus is the light of the world. In this world, there are many false saviors, but Jesus is our only savior. He saves completely those who come to him repenting of their sins and placing all of their hope and trust in him. Only God can save us. Only God can be our hope to come out of the darkness and live in the kingdom of God. We can meet this great and awesome God of ours through having a personal life experience with God. Will you let Jesus our great and awesome God and savior, be your God today? Come to him in faith. Walk in his light. Trust his love and provision. Depend on his power. Share in his heart that all people of all nations, may repent and come to the knowledge of salvation and be saved.




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