CHAPTER 18 The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God While He Continues Free from Every Taint. This last chapter of the first book consists of three parts, Roman numeral one. It having been said that God bends all the reprobate and even Satan himself at his will, three objections are started. First, that this happens by the permission, not by the will of God. To this objection there is a twofold reply, the one that angels and men good and bad do nothing but what is appointed by God. The second, that all movements are secretly directed to their end by the hidden inspiration of God. section one and two. Roman numeral two. A second objection is that there are two contrary wills in God, if by a secret counsel he decrees what he openly prohibits by his law. This objection refuted. section three. Roman numeral three. The third objection is that God has made the author of all wickedness when he is said not only to use the agency of the wicked but also to govern their counsels and affections and that therefore the wicked are unjustly punished. This objection refuted in the last section. One. The carnal mind, the source of the objections which are raised against the providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God refuted. Angels and men good and bad do not but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. Two. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples with answers to objections. Three. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection that there must be two contrary wills in God refuted. Why the one simple will of God seems to us as if it were manifold. Four. Objection that God is the author of sin refuted by examples. Augustine's Answer and Admonition. Section 1. From other passages in which God is said to draw or bend Satan himself and all the reprobate to his will a more difficult question arises. For the carnal mind can scarcely comprehend how, when acting by their means he contracts no taint from their impurity, nay, how in a common operation he is exempt from all guilt and can justly condemn his own ministers. Hence a distinction has been invented between doing and permitting, because to many it seemed altogether inexplicable how Satan and all the wicked are so under the hand and authority of God that he directs their malice to whatever end he pleases and employs their iniquities to execute his judgments. The modesty of those who are thus alarmed at the appearance of absurdity might perhaps be excused, did they not endeavor to vindicate the justice of God from every semblance of stigma by defending an untruth. It seems absurd that man should be blinded by the will and command of God and yet be forthwith punished for his blindness. Hence recourse is had to the evasion that this is done only by the permission and not also by the will of God. He himself, however, openly declaring that he does this, repudiates the evasion. That men do nothing save at the secret instigation of God and do not discuss and deliberate on anything but what he has previously decreed with himself and brings to pass by his secret direction is proved by numberless clear passages of scripture. What we formerly quoted from the Psalms to the effect that he does whatever pleases him certainly extends to all the actions of men. If God is the arbiter of peace and war as is there said and that without any exception who will venture to say that men are born along at random with a blind impulse while he is unconscious or quiescent. But the matter will be made clearer by special examples. From the first chapter of Job we learn that Satan appears in the presence of God to receive his orders just as do the angels who obey spontaneously. The manner and the end are different but still the fact is that he cannot attempt anything without the will of God. But though afterwards his power to afflict the saint seems to be only a bare permission yet as the sentiment is true. Quote, the Lord gave and the Lord has taken away as it pleased the Lord so it has been done. We infer that God was the author of the trial which Satan and wicked robbers were merely the instruments. Satan's aim is to drive the saint to madness by despair. The Sabeans cruelly and wickedly make a sudden incursion to rob another of his goods. Job acknowledges that he was deprived of all his property and brought to poverty because such was the pleasure of God. Therefore whatever man or Satan himself devise God holds the helm and makes all their efforts contribute to the execution of its judgments. God wills that the perfidious Ahab should be deceived. The devil offers his agency for that purpose and is sent with a definite command to be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets, 2 Kings 2220. If the blinding and infatuation of Ahab is a judgment from God, the fiction of bare permission is at an end. For it would be ridiculous for a judge only to permit and not also to decree what he wishes to be done at the very time that he commits the execution of it to his ministers. The Jews' purpose to destroy Christ, Pilate and the soldiers indulge them in their fury. Yet the disciples confess in solemn prayer that all the wicked did nothing but what the hand and counsel of God had decreed, Acts 428. Just as Peter had previously said in his discourse that Christ was delivered to death by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, Acts 2 23. In other words, that God, to whom all things are known from the beginning, had determined what the Jews had executed. He repeats the same thing elsewhere, quote, those things which God showed by the mouth of all his prophets that Christ should suffer, he has so fulfilled, end quote, Acts 418. Absalom, incestuously defiling his father's bed, perpetrates a detestable crime. God, however, declares that it was his work. For the words are, quote, thou midst it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the Son, end quote. The cruelties of the Chaldeans in Judea are declared by Jeremiah to be the work of God, for which reason Nebuchadnezzar is called the servant of God. God frequently exclaims that by his hiss, by the clang of his trumpet, by his authority and command the wicked are excited to war.  The overthrow of the city and downfall of the temple he calls his own work. David, not murmuring against God but acknowledging him to be a just judge confesses that the curses of she may are uttered by his orders. The Lord says he, quote, has bitten him curse, end quote. Often in sacred history whatever happens is said to proceed from the Lord, as the revolt of the ten tribes, the death of Eli's sons and very many others, of a similar description. Those who have a tolerable acquaintance with the scriptures see that with a view to brevity I am only producing a few out of many passages, from which it is perfectly clear that it is the merest trifling to substitute a bare permission for the providence of God, as if he sat in a watchtower waiting for fortuitous events, his judgments, meanwhile depending on the will of man. With regard to secret movements what Solomon says of the heart of a king that it is turned hither and thither, as God sees meat, certainly applies to the whole human race, and has the same force as if he had said that whatever we conceive in our minds is directed to its end by the secret inspiration of God. And certainly did he not work internally in the minds of men? It could not have been properly said that he takes away the lip from the true and prudence from the aged, takes away the heart from the princes of the earth that they wander through devious paths. To the same effect we often read that men are intimidated when he fills their hearts with terror. Thus David left the camp of Saul, while none knew of it because a sleep from God had fallen upon all. But nothing can be clearer than the many passages which declare that he blinds the minds of men, and smites them with giddiness, intoxicates them with a spirit of stupor, renders them infatuated, and hardens their hearts. Even these expressions many would confine to permissions as if, by destroying the reprobate, he allowed them to be blinded by Satan. But since the Holy Spirit distinctly says that the blindness and infatuation are inflicted by the just judgment of God, the solution is altogether inadmissible. He is said to have hardened the heart of Pharaoh, to have hardened it yet more, and confirmed it. Some evade these forms of expression by a silly cattle, because Pharaoh is elsewhere said to have hardened his own heart, thus making his will the cause of hardening it, as if the two things did not perfectly agree with each other, though in different senses, viz that men, though acted upon by God, at the same time also acts. But I retort the objection on those who make it. If to harden means only bear permission, the contumacy will not properly belong to Pharaoh. Now, could anything be more feeble and insipid than to interpret as if Pharaoh had only allowed himself to be hardened? We may add that scripture cuts off all handle for such cavals. I, say at the Lord, quote, will harden his heart, end, quote, Exodus 421, so also Moses says of the inhabitants of the land of Canaan, that they went forth to battle because the Lord had hardened their hearts, Joshua 1120. The same thing is repeated by another prophet, quote. He turned their hearts to hate his people, end, quote, Psalm 10525.  Not that he intends to teach the wicked an obstinate man to obey spontaneously, but because he bends them to execute his judgments, just as if they carried their orders, engraving on their minds. And hence it appears that they are impelled by the sheer appointment of God. I admit, indeed, that God often acts in the reprobate by interposing the agency of Satan, but in such a manner that Satan himself performs as part just as he is impelled and succeeds only insofar as he is permitted. The evil spirit that troubled Saul is said to be from the Lord, 1 Samuel 1614, to intimate that Saul's madness was a just punishment from God. Satan is also said to blind the minds of those who believe not, 2 Corinthians 4.4, but how so, unless that a spirit of error is sent from God himself, making those who refuse to obey the truth to believe a lie? According to the former view, it is said, quote, if the Prophet be deceived when he has spoken a thing, I the Lord have deceived that prophet. End quote, Ezekiel 14.9. According to the latter view, he is said to have given men over to a reprobate mind, Romans 128, because he is the special author of his own just vengeance, whereas Satan is only his minister. But as in the second book, chapter 4, sections 3 and 4, in discussing the question of man's freedom, this subject will again be considered. The little that has now been said seems to be all that the occasion requires. The sum of the whole is this. Since the will of God is said to be the cause of all things, all the counsels and actions of men must be held to be governed by his providence, so that he not only exerts his power in the elect, who are guided by the Holy Spirit, but also forces the reprobate to do him service. Section 3. As I have hitherto stated only what is plainly and unambiguously taught in Scripture, those who hesitate not to stigmatize what is thus taught by the sacred oracles, had better beware what kind of censure they employ. If under a pretense of ignorance they seek the praise of modesty, what greater arrogance can be imagined than to utter one word in opposition to the authority of God, to say, for instance, quote, I think otherwise, end quote, I would not have this subject touched, end quote. But if they openly blaspheme, what will they gain by assaulting heaven? Such petulance indeed is not new. In all ages there have been wicked and profane men who rabidly assailed this branch of doctrine. But what the Spirit declared of old by the mouth of David, Psalm 51.6, they will feel by experience to be true. God will overcome when he is judged. David indirectly rebukes the infatuation of those whose license is so unbridled that from their groveling spot of earth they not only plead against God, but arrogant to themselves the right of censuring him. At the same time he briefly intimates that the blasphemies which they belch forth against heaven instead of reaching God only illustrate his justice when the mists of their kaluminies are dispersed. Even our faith, because founded on the sacred word of God, is superior to the whole world and is able, from its height, to look down upon such mists. Their first objection, that if nothing happens without the will of God he must have two contrary wills, decreeing by a secret counsel what he has openly forbidden in his law, is easily disposed of. But before I reply to it I would again remind my readers that this caval is directed not against me, but against the Holy Spirit who certainly dictated this confession to that holy man Job. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away. When after being plundered by robbers he acknowledges that their injustice and mischief was a just chastisement from God. And what says the scriptures elsewhere? The sons of Eli, quote, harkened not unto the voice of their father because the Lord would slay them, end quote, for Samuel 2.25. Another prophet also exclaims, quote, our God is in the heavens, he has done whatsoever he has pleased, end quote, Psalm 115.3. I have already shown clearly enough that God is the author of all those things which, according to these objectors, happen only by his inactive permission. He testifies that he creates light and darkness, forms good and evil, Isaiah 45.7, that no evil happens which he has not done, Amos 3.6. Let them tell me whether God exercises his judgments willingly or unwillingly. As Moses teaches that he who is accidentally killed by the blow of an axe is delivered by God into the hand of him who smites him, Deuteronomy 19.5, so the gospel by the mouth of Luke declares that Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired, quote, to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done, end quote, Acts 4.28. And in truth, if Christ was not crucified by the will of God, where is our redemption? Still, however, the will of God is not at variance with itself, it undergoes no change. He makes no pretense of not willing what he wills, but while in himself the will is won and undivided, to us it appears manifold, because from the feebleness of our intellects we cannot comprehend how, though after a different manner, he wills and wills not, the very same thing. Paul terms the calling of the Gentiles a hidden mystery and shortly after adds that therein was manifested the manifold wisdom of God, Ephesians 3.10. Since, on account of the dullness of our sense, the wisdom of God seems manifold, parentheses, or as an old interpreter rendered it, multi-form, and parentheses, are we therefore to dream of some variation in God, as if he either changed his counsel or disagreed with himself? Nay, when we cannot comprehend how God can will that to be done which he has forbid us to do, let us call to mind our imbecility, and remember that the light in which he dwells is not without cause termed inaccessible, 1 Timothy 6.16, because shrouded in darkness. Hence all pious and modest men will readily acquiesce in the sentiment of Augustine. Quote, man sometimes with a good will wishes something which God does not will, as when a good son wishes his father to live, while God wills him to die. Again it may happen that man with a bad will wishes what God wills righteously, as when a bad son wishes his father to die, and God also wills it. The former wishes what God wills not, the latter wishes what God also wills, and yet the filial affection of the former is more consonant to the good will of God, though willing differently than the unnatural affection of the latter, though willing the same thing. So much does approbation or condemnation depend on what is befitting in man, and what in God to will, and to what end the will of each has respect. For the things which God rightly wills he accomplishes by the evil wills of bad men, quote. He has said a little before that the apostate angels by the revolt and all the reprobate, as far as they themselves were concerned, did what God willed not, but in regard to his omnipotence it was impossible for them to do so, for while they act against the will of God, his will is accomplished in them. Hence he exclaims, quote, great is the work of God, exquisite in all he wills, so that in a manner wondrous and ineffable that is not done without his will which is done contrary to it, because it could not be done if he did not permit, nor does he permit it unwillingly but willingly, nor would he who is good permit evil to be done, were he not omnipotent to bring good out of evil, end quote. Section 4 In the same way is solved, or rather spontaneously vanishes another objection, Viz, if God not only uses the agency of the wicked, but also governs their councils and affections, he is the author of all their sins, and therefore men, in executing what God has decreed, are unjustly condemned, because they are obeying his will. Here will is improperly confounded with precept, though it is obvious from innumerable examples that there is the greatest difference between them. When Absalom defiled his father's bed, though God was pleased thus to avenge the adultery of David, he did not therefore enjoin an abandoned son to commit incest, unless perhaps in respect of David as David himself says of Shime's curses. For while he confesses that Shime acts by the order of God, he by no means commends the obedience as if that petulant dog had been yielding obedience to a divine command, but recognizing in his tongue the scourge of God he submits patiently to be chastised. Thus we must hold that while by means of the wicked God performs what he has secretly decreed, they are not excusable as if they were obeying his precept, which of set purpose they violate according to their lust. How these things which men do perversely are of God, and are ruled by his secret providence, is strikingly shown in the election of King Jeroboam, 1 Kings 1220, in which the rashness and infatuation of the people are severely condemned for perverting the order sanctioned by God, and profiteously revolting from the family of David. And yet we know that it was God's will that Jeroboam should be anointed. Hence the apparent contradiction in the words of Hosea, Hosea 8.4.1311. Because while God complained that the kingdom was erected without his knowledge and against his will, he elsewhere declares that he had given King Jeroboam in his anger. How shall we reconcile the two things? That Jeroboam's reign was not of God, and yet God appointed him king. In this way, the people could not revolt from the family of David without shaking off a yoke divinely imposed on them, and yet God himself was not deprived of the power of thus punishing the ingratitude of Solomon. We therefore see how God, while not willing treachery, with another view justly wills the revolt. And hence Jeroboam, by unexpectedly receiving the sacred unction, is urged to aspire to the kingdom. For this reason the sacred history says that God stirred up an enemy to deprive the son of Solomon of part of the kingdom. 1 Kings 11.23. Let the reader diligently ponder both points, how as it was the will of God that the people should be ruled by the hand of one king, their being rent into two parties was contrary to his will, and yet this same will originated the revolt. For certainly when Jeroboam, who had no such thought, is urged by the prophet verbally and by the oil of unction to hope for the kingdom, the thing was not done without the knowledge or against the will of God who had expressly commanded it. And yet the rebellion of the people is justly condemned, because it was against the will of God that they revolted from the posterity of David. For this reason it is afterwards added that when Rehoboam hotly spurned the prayers of the people, quote, the cause was from the Lord, that he might perform his saying which the Lord spoke by a haija, end quote, 1 Kings 12.15. See how sacred unity was violated against the will of God, while at the same time with his will the ten tribes were alienated from the son of Solomon. To this might be added another similar example, Viz. The murder of the sons of Ahab, and the extermination of his whole progeny by the consent, or rather the active agency of the people. Jehu says truly, quote, there shall fall unto the earth nothing of the word of the Lord, which the Lord spoke concerning the house of Ahab, for the Lord has done that which he spake by his servant Elijah, end quote, 2 Kings 10.10. And yet with good reason he upraids the citizens of Samaria for having lent their assistance, quote, ye be righteous, behold I conspired against my master and slew him, but who slew all these, end quote. If I mistake not I have already shown clearly how the same act that once betrays the guilt of man and manifests the righteousness of God. Modest minds will always be satisfied with Augustine's answer, quote, since the Father delivered up the son, Christ his own body, and Judas his master. How, in such a case, is God just, and man guilty, but just because in the one act which they did the reasons for which they did it are different, end quote. If any are not perfectly satisfied with this explanation, Viz, that there is no concurrence between God and man when by his righteous impulse man does what he ought not to do, let them give heed to what Augustine elsewhere observes, quote, who can refrain from trembling at those judgments when God does according to his pleasure, even in the hearts of the wicked, at the same time rendering to them according to their deeds, end quote. And certainly in regard to the treachery of Judas there is just as little ground to throw the blame of the crime upon God, because he was both pleased that his son should be delivered up to death, and did deliver him, as to ascribe to Judas the praise of our redemption. Hence Augustine in another place truly observes that when God makes his scrutiny he looks not to what men could do, or to what they did, but to what they wished to do, thus taking account of their will and purpose. Those to whom this seems harsh had better consider how far their insituousness is entitled to any toleration, while on the ground of its exceeding their capacity they reject a matter which is clearly taught in Scripture, and complain of the annunciation of truths which, if they were not useful to be known, God never would have ordered his prophets and apostles to teach. Our true wisdom is to embrace with meek docility, and without reservation whatever the Holy Scriptures have delivered. Those who indulge their petulance, a petulance manifestly directed against God, are undeserving of a longer refutation.


Ted now has had pain for the past couple days now because as a caregiver, he has to lift up people, elderly people, and he said as he was lifting somebody up, he heard his left shoulder. And he said today he was believing for his miracle, him and his wife both began to pray over his shoulder. And he said he felt like this wave come upon him. And as that wave hit him, he said the pain left his body. Show us. Zero, zero pain. Pay this God. Thank you Lord.


As graduates of 2020, your resolve has already been tested. You showed strength, determination, character by finishing well in spite of many obstacles that you've had to overcome. Although today's ceremony looks a little bit different, it was important for us to honor you and to recognize while this pandemic has affected us, it has not diminished your progress, your achievements, or the future impact that you will have through your lives. It's definitely better sweet. I'm graduating a year and a half early. I did early college my last year as a high school, so I graduated high school with my associate's degree. In high school, I did dual enrollment, so my first couple of classes were already taken care of, and once I got here, I just fell in love with the campus and the teachers. I feel like I couldn't have chosen a better university for me than the University of Alabama. I've been a crimsonette here in the million-dollar band, so I've gotten to twirl at all of the football games for the last three years, which has been an awesome experience. It's been an amazing experience. I graduated from college, that's the dream of mine, and the dream my family won't have for me as well. So to graduate from college, that's a great thing for me. It's definitely been a long journey, but I couldn't do it without, obviously, my coaches, teammates, teachers, classmates, everyone that I've met here at the university, they've helped me along the ways and made it a lot easier. So I'm just super blessed to be here, and to get two degrees is obviously a great accomplishment, and I just thank God and thank my family to see all my teammates graduate pretty much back-to-back was just a great experience. It's definitely been an experience and kind of a test of my dedication and perseverance. It's been a little different and a little rough, but I've been able to make it through. If you choose to go to Alabama, you have to be a hard worker. You have to be determined.  Alabama is one of the greatest universities in the whole world, and it's just a blessing to be here. It's a great choice to come here, great classmates, like I said, great teachers, and a great campus, so nothing that you can turn down. Roll Tide. I think the best thing to end with is Roll Tide.


Outdoor air pollution may be the ninth leading cause of death and disability in the world, responsible for millions of deaths from lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease stroke, and respiratory infection. In the US, living in a polluted city was associated with a 16, 27, and 28% increase in total cardiovascular and lung cancer death compared to living in a city with cleaner air. Living in a city with polluted air may lead up to a 75% increase in the risk of a heart attack. No one wants to be living in a traffic jam, but is better than dying in a traffic jam. In addition to causing deaths, air pollution is also the cause of a number of health problems. It may not only exacerbate asthma, but increase the risk of developing asthma in the first place. These pollutants may trigger liver disease, even increase the risk of diabetes. Even when atmospheric pollutants are within legally established limits, they can be harmful to health. So what can we do about it? Paper after paper describing all the terrible things air pollution can do to us, but most failed to mention public policy. We're making great strides in demonstrating the harmful effects, but public authorities are not using these data to reduce emissions, as they might inconvenience the population and therefore might not be politically acceptable. To treat the cause, we need better vehicle inspections, efficient public transport, bus lanes, bicycle lanes, even urban tolls to help clean up the air. While we're waiting for all that, is there anything we can do to protect ourselves? Well, our body naturally has detoxifying enzymes, not only in our liver, but lining our airways. Studies showing that people born with less effective detox enzymes have an exaggerated allergic response to diesel exhaust, suggesting that these enzymes actively combat the inflammation caused by pollutants in the air. A significant part of the population has these substandard forms of the enzyme, either way, what can we do to boost the activity of whichever detoxification enzymes we do have? Well, if you remember, broccoli can dramatically boost the activity of the detox enzymes in our liver. But what about our lungs? Researchers fed some smokers a large stock of broccoli every day for 10 days to see if it would affect the level of inflammation within their bodies. Why smokers? Because smoking is so inflammatory that you can end up with elevated C-reactive protein levels for up to 30 years after quitting. And that inflammation can start almost immediately after we start smoking, so it's critical to never start in the first place. But if you do, you can cut your level of that inflammation biomarker CRP nearly in half after just 10 days eating a lot of broccoli. Appears to cut inflammation in non-smokers as well, maybe explaining in part why eating more than two cups of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, or other cruciferous veggies a day is associated with 20% reduced risk of dying compared to eating a third of a cup a day or less. So what about air pollution? We know the cruciferous compound is the most potent known inducer of our detox enzymes, and so most of the research has been its ability to fight cancer. But here for the first time, they tried to see if it could combat the pro-inflammatory impact of pollutants such as diesel exhaust. They took some human lung lining cells in a petri dish, this is how many detox enzymes are produced. Drip on some broccoli goodness, and you can get this many. Yeah, but we don't inhale broccoli, we don't snort it, we eat it. Can it still get into our lungs and help?  Now, all we have to do is squirt some diesel exhaust up their nose, which is what some UCLA researchers did, an amount equal to daily rush hour exposure on the Los Angeles freeway. Within six hours, the number of inflammatory cells in their nose shot up and continued to rise. But in the group that had been getting a broccoli sprout extract, the inflammation went down and stayed down. Since the dose in these studies is equivalent to the consumption of one or two cups of broccoli, their study demonstrates the potential preventative and therapeutic potential of broccoli. But if broccoli is so powerful at suppressing this inflammatory immune response, might it interfere with normal immune function? After all, the battle with viruses like influenza can happen in the nose. Let's drip some flu viruses into the nostrils of broccoli sprout eaters and find out. And what you get is the best of both worlds, less inflammation yet an improved immune response. Eat alfalfa sprouts and you can get this kind of viral spike in your nose, but after eating a package of broccoli sprouts every day, our body is able to keep the virus in check, potentially offering a safe low cost strategy for reducing influenza risk among high risk populations. So better immune function yet less inflammation, potentially reducing the impact of pollution on allergic disease and asthma. At least for an enthusiastic broccoli consumer. But what about cancer? Detoxifying air pollutants throughout the rest of our body? We didn't know until now. Off to China, where they have some of the worst air pollution in the world. And by day one, those getting the broccoli sprouts were able to get rid of 60% more benzene from their bodies. A rapid, highly durable elevation in the detoxification of a known human carcinogen. Now this was using broccoli sprouts which are highly concentrated, equivalent to about 5 cups of broccoli a day, so we don't know how well more modest doses would work, but if they do, eating broccoli could provide a frugal means to attenuate the long-term health risks of air pollution.


I love the Old Testament story of a young man who served the prophet Elisha. Early one morning, the young man woke up, went outside, and found the city surrounded by a great army intent on destroying them. He ran to Elisha. Alas, my master, how shall we do? Elisha answered, Fear not, for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. Elisha knew the young man needed more than calming reassurance. He needed vision. And so Elisha prayed, Lord, open his eyes that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw.  There may be times when you, like the servant, find yourself struggling to see how God is working in your life, times when you feel under siege, when the trials of mortality bring you to your knees. Wait and trust in God and in his timing, because you can trust his heart with all of yours. But there is a second lesson here. My dear sisters and brothers, you too can pray for the Lord to open your eyes to see things you would not normally see. Perhaps the most important things for us to see clearly are who God is and who we really are, sons and daughters of heavenly parents with the divine nature and eternal destiny.  The more you understand your true identity and purpose so deep, the more it will influence everything in your life. Understanding how God sees us prepares the way to help us see others as he does. Columnist David Brooks said, Many of our society's great problems flow from people not feeling seen and known. There is a core trait that we all have to get better at, and that is the trait of seeing each other deeply and being deeply seen. Jesus Christ sees people deeply. He sees individuals, their needs, and who they can become. Where others saw fishermen, sinners, or publicans, Jesus saw disciples. Where others saw a man possessed by devils, Jesus looked past the outward distress, acknowledged him, and healed him. Even in our busy lives, we can follow the example of Jesus and see individuals, their needs, their faith, their struggle, and who they can become. As I pray for the Lord to open my eyes to see things I might not normally see, I often ask myself two questions and pay attention to the impressions that come. What am I doing that I should stop doing, and what am I not doing that I should start doing? Months ago during the sacrament, I asked myself these questions and was surprised by the answer that came. Stop looking at your phone when you are waiting in lines. Looking at my phone in lines had become almost automatic. I found it a good time to multitask, to catch up on email, look at headlines, or scroll through a social media feed. The next morning, I found myself waiting in a long line at the store. I pulled out my phone and then remembered the impression I had received. I put my phone away and looked around. I saw an elderly gentleman in line ahead of me. His cart was empty except for a few cans of cat food. I felt a little awkward, but I said something really clever like, I can see you have a cat. He said that a storm was coming and he did not want to be caught without cat food. We visited briefly and then he turned to me and said, you know I haven't told anyone this, but today is my birthday. My heart melted. I wished him a happy birthday and offered a silent prayer of thanks that I had not been on my phone and missed an opportunity to truly see and connect with another person who needed it. With all of my heart, I do not want to be like the priest or the Levite on the road to Jericho, one who looks and passes by, but too often I think I am. I recently learned a valuable lesson about seeing deeply from a young woman named Roslyn. The story was shared with me by my friend who was devastated when her husband of 20 years moved out. With her children splitting time between parents, the prospect of attending church alone seemed daunting. She recounts. In a church where the family is of paramount importance, sitting solo can be painful. That first Sunday I walked in praying no one would speak to me. I was barely holding it together and tears were on the brink. I sat in my typical spot hoping no one would notice how empty the bench seemed. A young woman in our ward turned and looked at me. I pretended to smile. She smiled back. I could see the concern in her face. I silently pleaded that she wouldn't come talk to me. I had nothing positive to say and knew I would cry. I looked back down at my lap and avoided eye contact. During the next hour, I noticed her looking back at me occasionally. As soon as the meeting ended, she made a beeline for me. Hi Roslyn, I whispered. She wrapped me in her arms and said, Sister Smith, I can tell today is a bad day for you. I'm so sorry. I love you. As predicted, the tears came and she hugged me again. But as I walked away, I thought to myself, maybe I can do this after all. That sweet 16-year-old young woman less than half my age found me every Sunday for the rest of that year to give me a hug and ask, how are you? It made such a difference in how I felt about coming to church. The truth is I started to rely on those hugs. Someone noticed me. Someone knew I was there. Someone cared. End of quote. As with all gifts the Father so willingly offers, seeing deeply requires us to ask Him and then act. Ask to see others as He does, His true sons and daughters with infinite and divine potential. Then act by loving, serving, and affirming their worth and potential as prompted. As this becomes the pattern of our lives, we will find ourselves becoming true followers of Jesus Christ and others will be able to trust our hearts with theirs. And in this pattern, we will also discover our own true identity and purpose. My friend recalled another experience while sitting in that same empty pew alone, wondering if 20 years of effort to live the gospel in her home was all for naught. She needed more than calming reassurance. She needed vision. She felt a question pierce her heart. Why did you do those things? Did you do them for the reward, the praise of others, or the desired outcome? She hesitated for a moment, searched her heart, and was then able to answer confidently, I did them because I love the Savior and I love His gospel. The Lord opened her eyes to help her see. This simple but powerful change of vision helped her continue to press on with faith in Christ despite her circumstances. I witnessed that Jesus Christ loves us and can give us eyes to see, even when it's hard, even when we're tired, even when we're lonely, and even when the outcomes are not as we hoped. Through His grace, He will bless us and increase our capacity. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, Christ will enable us to see ourselves and see others as He does. And with His help, we can discern what is most needful. We can begin to see the hand of the Lord working in and through the ordinary details of our lives. We will see deeply. And then in that great day, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. That we may have this hope as my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


First Timothy chapter 1, we're going to look today at verses 12 through 17. First Timothy, excuse me, 1, verses 12 through 17. Paul writes, I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly and unbelief, and the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. However, for this reason, I obtained mercy that in me first, Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life. Now, to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. So Paul is writing a letter of instruction to a young pastor by the name of Timothy. And as I've been mentioning to you, the city that Timothy ministered in was a very large, according to ancient standards, a very large city. It had a population of between 250,000 to 300,000 people. It was what was called the cosmopolitan city. It had a harbor. It was an intellectual center. And it was also filled with occultism, with magic. It was one of the, it was well known in the world at that time as being a city that was given over to the worship of Diana.  And so it was a very, very debauched, if you will, a very, a very dark city in terms of sin. It was a very large city. And God sent Paul there to minister. And Paul went into the city and began to minister the word and God moved mildly through Paul. And as Paul was there, God was using him to preach the word of the gospel. And as a result, many were being saved. Well, whatever the Lord is moving, the enemy moves in order to try and counter that. And so there's great opposition there in the city. There was an especially intense rejection of Paul's call for the people to reject idolatry. And there was a near riot that broke out because Paul had made it clear that gods are not made by human hands. And when this took place, there was a arena there that was close to the temple. And we've been to that arena. It sat 25,000 people and the people began to enter into this, this theater, this arena near the temple of Diana. And for two hours, they began to cry out greatest Diana of the Ephesians. It was a near riot conditions. And finally, as you read through the book of Acts, you see that the city clerk calmed them down. And then Paul left for Macedonia. When he did that, well, Timothy remained. Timothy remained in the city of Ephesus. So Paul is writing to encourage and to instruct him. You see, it's difficult to pastor a church in any city, but this particular city was incredibly, incredibly difficult to minister in. And he was a young man, and he's in a very hostile environment. So Paul is writing in order to encourage him. And in order to do so, Paul begins to point to himself as an example of the power of God to change somebody's life. So Paul could say, Timothy, you're in a very dark place, but don't forget the gospel can change anybody's life. You see, before his conversion, Paul hated Jesus. He violently opposed Christians. He desired to wipe out both the message of the cross as well as the followers of Christ. And he speaks about that more than once. But in Acts 26, he said it like this in verses 10 and 11, as he was given his testimony, he said, many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests. And when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme and being exceedingly enraged against them. I persecuted them even to foreign cities. When he was writing to the Galatians in chapter 1, verse 13, he said, you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. So he's speaking to Timothy and he's saying to Timothy, you've been around people who are violently opposed to the gospel before, but remember, I am one of those who also was opposed to the gospel. Paul said I wreaked havoc on and I attempted to destroy the church, but God is rich in mercy. And God had shown his mercy to the apostle Paul. We've read the story of the conversion of Paul in Acts 9, how Jesus appeared to him while he was on the road to Damascus and how he had saved him. And this encounter humbled him. This encounter with Christ completely transformed the apostle Paul. And so instead of tearing down the church, he began to work to fill the church up. So that reveals to us that God is capable of saving anybody. I've shared this with you before, but it bears repetition at this point. I was a young believer. I think I was around 23 years old. And I went to a Christian concert. Need to understand that in the Jesus movement, Christian concerts were not held just to entertain people. Christian concerts were held to reach people. And so the people doing the music would also evangelize. And so you would go to a Christian concert and you would bring your friends who didn't know the Lord. And so during the concert, there would be great music and all, but there would be a message of repentance and coming to faith in Christ. And so how was that this particular concert? It was small by today's standards. There were maybe 200 people in it, in a small room in Downey. And I was seated behind a guy who was wearing a Levi jacket with the sleeves cut off. And it had, he was a motorcycle gangster. And it had his colors in the back. I don't remember the name of the particular group he rode with, but it was right in front of me. He was huge by my standards. Anybody's huge by my standards. But he was probably six, four, 300 pounds. That's a good size guy. And he was a big guy and his hair was all long. It was down past his shoulders. And actually it began at his shoulders. He had a hairy back. No, he, anyway, he was a big guy. And just big. And as the concert was progressing, the musician evangelist began to share the gospel. And as I was there seated behind this guy, this is the truth. He was so big. I had to try and look around him. I couldn't even see past him. He was so big. And I was kind of watching. And then I began to be fixated on him. He was just, just obviously a very, very bad dude. Obviously a very sinful guy. So I'm thinking, as I'm looking at him, I'm thinking, God can't save you.   I was thinking that I can't save this guy. So when the invitation came and the evangelist said, if you know that Christ is calling you to get saved today, turn away from your sins and turn to him. You want a new life in Christ.  And as I was seated, they're looking at him and I'm thinking, this guy's not going to move. This guy won't get saved. He stands up. And when he stands up, he begins, he's weeping. His body is actually moving with tears. And I see him rubbing his eyes as he's crying. And he stumbles literally, and I'm not exaggerating, he literally was kind of stumbling as he went by the first row that he was in. The row he was in, people were moving very quickly to let him out. As he went through, he went and stood in the front and stood right in the center. As I was there, I saw him right in the center. And he was wiping tears from his eyes as the evangelist was looking at him and the others who came forward. And the Spirit of the Lord spoke to me in a way that I've never forgotten. And this is what he said, I can save anybody. I can save anybody. Do you believe that? God can save anybody. He's got the power. He's got the ability. And that's what he does. God saves people no matter what they have done, no matter how long they have done it, if they repent, they can be saved. God can change you.  In Acts 2, 21, the Bible says it shall come to pass that whoever, whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. So Paul was a man who had been saved. He's reminding Timothy, you may be ministering in a very evil and very dark place, Timothy. You are. There's no doubt about it. There's so much occultism. There's so much idolatry. There's so much violence and evil.   But don't forget, God can save anybody who comes to him in faith. And Paul was one who had been saved. So he's pointing in a way to himself, saying, look what he did in my life and he can do it with others. Paul became a man who tirelessly evangelized the world with the gospel of Jesus Christ. When he was writing to the church in Rome in chapter 15, verse 20, Paul said, I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation. Paul had spiritual passion. And this passion moved Paul to come to Ephesus in the first place. And it is this spiritual passion that Paul wants to stir up in this young man named Timothy. You see, he had said in verse 11 that he had been entrusted with the glorious gospel, and the same gospel has been entrusted to Timothy. And Timothy needs to understand that he could proclaim this message and people will be saved. This glorious gospel needs to go forth. And Timothy, you have the honor and responsibility of proclaiming it. And so at this point, Paul begins to thank Jesus Christ. And he does so for three specific things. Notice in verse 12, he says, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has enabled me because he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. So he thanks him for three specific things. One, he thanks him for enabling him. Two, he thanks God for counting him faithful. And three, he thanks God for putting him in the ministry. But this all begins with a word of gratitude in verse 12 when he said, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord. Where does ministry begin? There are those who want to be ministered. Where does it begin? Where does ministry begin? It begins with a heart of gratitude. We love him according to 1 John 419. We love him because he first loved us. Paul in 2 Corinthians 514 said it like this. He said, the love of Christ compels us. You see, he was a man who had been forgiven. And a person who has been forgiven much will love much. And one of the things that we need to understand today is there are a lot of people who need to be reminded of that. We need to remember that. You see, you can be a Christian for a while. As a matter of fact, you can be a Christian for a long time and forget where you came in. You need to remember where you came from. You need to remember that by the grace of God you are who you are today because what you were in the past is not what you are now. God has done a work in you to transform you. And it ought to make you grateful. And you ought to thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, for what he has done. God is good, isn't he? And he has done a good work in us. And we ought to be grateful for that work that he's done. And it's from that attitude of gratitude that we take the gospel to people. I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, for putting me in the ministry, he said. I thank Christ for what he's done. I haven't walked away from that. I know what he's done on my behalf. And I'm so grateful to God for what he has done. I was in college at Cal Poly Pomona. As a young man, I was a sociology student. That was one of my majors. And I had arrived at class early. So it was just one other student and me. And I didn't know the student yet. And so it was just us in a classroom there at the school before class began. And because he was seated right next to me, we began to visit. And he began to share his life with me because we have a tendency of doing that, don't we? We just talk about ourselves. We do so easily. And so he did. He began to share with me his life. He said, I'm an alcoholic. And he told me how that he was now in a particular program. And he'd been sober for so long. And I've heard that story before. And all in all, I was listening to him and respectfully hearing him. That's his story. That's what he's gone through. So of course, I respect the fact that he wants to share it with me. And I was more than willing to hear it. And I did. And so he asked me, what about you? And I said, you know, I was an alcoholic too. I still remember when I was four years old, my mom and dad on occasion would have a Saturday night with friends. They'd come to dance at the house and all. And they'd drink vodka and orange juice and various drinks, you know, whiskeys and bourbons and various things like that. And very often there were cups or glasses that still had the alcohol in it. So at the age of four, I was already drinking all the drinks that the people had left the night before. And I developed a taste for vodka and orange juice and all. And that was when I was four years old. So I became an alcoholic by the time I was a young teen. And so for me, a Friday night when I was 16 years old began with a quart of beer and a half gallon of wine. And that's how I started my night. So I was a confirmed alcoholic by the time I was 17. So I understand that. So I said, yeah, I understand that. I understand the drink and all of that. And I said, I used to do that. I shared it with them. I was an alcoholic. And I understand that. And he said, well, if you were an alcoholic, you're still an alcoholic because that's what you're taught in these 12 step and 10 step programs. You know, you begin with your name and you say, how long you've been drawing this and that. And I said, no. I said, I was an alcoholic. I am no longer an alcoholic. And I no longer identify as an alcoholic. I said, that's not me. He said, well, why do you say that? I said, because the Bible says, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation, old things have passed away. Behold, all things are become new. I said, what I was is not what I am. What I am is free in Jesus Christ, because of what God can do through the power of the Holy Spirit. See, I've been sharing these, I've been sharing these things from the Bible. Since long before I was called Pastor David, I was a student at Cal Poly sharing the gospel. That's what God has called us to do. Why? Because even as Paul said, God used me as a template of his grace. If he could save me, he can save anybody. Well, I understand that because God can save anybody. And he saved me. And many of us in this room right now could say, I can add to that and even do greater things about God because of what he's done for me. As you look around out here, there are people that before Christ, I wouldn't have sat next to you, I'd have been afraid of you. We have people in this church that God has done such amazing works in, amazing works because he's so gracious as any, and he's so good. And that's where ministry begins, by the way. It begins by saying, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord. Look what he's done. I am a new creation because of him, this gospel that changed my life has been entrusted to me to give to others. He became like that woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears, whom Jesus pointed to, and spoke concerning the fact that the one who has been forgiven much, well, that same person is going to love much. All we need to do is remember who we were without Christ, what we did without Jesus, and where we are now. And you can't help but love him for all that he has done. He says, I want to thank God. So it is from this thankfulness that Paul served the Lord. And what's he thank him for again? In verse 12, I thank Christ Jesus, our Lord, who enabled me. He's empowered me. He has strengthened me. Spiritual labor requires spiritual power. Spiritual labor doesn't simply rely on natural gifts and natural talents, because spiritual labor requires the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus said you shall receive power after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you. You should be witnesses to me in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the most parts of the earth. It's not your natural speaking gifts. It's not your intellect. It's not your eloquence at all. What it is, it's the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul said it like this in 2 Corinthians 3, verse 5, not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves. Our competence comes from God. You see, just because someone sings or speaks well or is educated does not enable them. It's good if you are able to do those things, but spiritual work always requires the power of the Holy Spirit. So Jesus anoints ministry and he also strengthens the minister to remain in ministry.  It's so dark. You need to remember that the Holy Spirit enables you to perform and to remain faithful. You see, sometimes ministry can be discouraging and sometimes it can be painful through the attacks, but the Lord uses those to strengthen us and reveal himself. In 2 Corinthians 12, 9 and 10, Paul said, he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, most gladly, I will rather boast in my infirmities that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. Because he learned to rely on the Lord, to lean into the Lord and to be strengthened by him. You see, Paul knew that without Jesus, he would never last in ministry and Timothy needs to understand that too. We need to cling to the Lord as we serve him. In John 15, verse 5, Jesus said, I am the vine. You are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. Apart from me, you can do nothing. And so we need to understand that. So I thank him for this. He also thanked Jesus, our Lord, because he says, he counted me faithful. He counted me faithful. That word counted in the original language means to consider, to think of or account. He deemed me faithful. He's saying, I have been tested and I have been proven to be faithful. And because I've been tested and proven to be faithful, I am also worthy of his trust. Through the various trials he'd endured, it had been revealed that he could be trusted. Paul didn't enter into ministry to make himself rich, and he didn't enter into ministry to become popular. He said in 2 Corinthians 4, verse 2, we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. He didn't do it to be garnering attention. He didn't do it to become well known. He didn't change the message in order for it to become acceptable to people. He just did what God called him to do. One of my favorite writers is a man by the name of A. W. Tozer. And Tozer said this, and he was writing somewhere in the late 50s, early 60s, when he wrote this, religion today is not transforming people, rather it is being transformed by the people. It is not raising the moral level of society, it is descending to society's own level, and congratulating itself that it has scored a victory because society is smilingly accepting its surrender. When we change the message to appeal to sinners, when we change the message so that it doesn't cut the heart, when we intentionally transform the message to make it acceptable to the hearer, we are gutting it of its power to convict. God doesn't want to have happy goats. He wants to have well fed sheep. And the only way that takes place is through the word of God, because it's a word that actually confronts us. It's like a mirror that reveals to me who I truly am and it causes me to say, God, be merciful to me. I'm a sinner. And so Paul knew that without the Lord, that Timothy would never last in ministry, and he also knew that there would be a testing to demonstrate faithfulness. He said in 1 Thessalonians 2,4, we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel.  You see, from the moment of his conversion, Paul became a fearless preacher of this gospel that he once opposed. In Acts 9 in verses 20 through 22, Luke records immediately he preached the Christ in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. Then all who heard were amazed and said, is this not he who destroyed those who called on his name in Jerusalem and has come here for that purpose so that he might bring them bound to the chief priests? But Saul increased all the more in strength and confounded the Jews who dwelt in Damascus, proving that this Jesus is the Christ. And then third, he thanks God for putting him in the ministry. When it says he was put in the ministry, that speaks of a strategic placing for a particular service to the Lord. God placed me strategically in this place. Paul, in other words, didn't push for attention. God called Paul to minister as an apostle and he was in what is called ministry. Ministry is not a vocation, it's not a way to gain attention. It really is a lowly place of service. Ministry is diaconia in the Greek and diaconia speaks of humble service to the Lord. You see, some covet the pulpit, some covet pastoral positions because they think it'll be profitable for them. But not so. The pastor is the chief servant, not the center of attention. When Paul was writing to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 3, 5 through 7, he asked the question, who then is Paul and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed as the Lord gave to each one. I planted Apollos watered, but God gave the increase so that neither he who plants is anything nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase. That's how he saw himself and that's how Timothy should see himself also. He said, he put me into the ministry verse 13, although I was formally a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. I was formally a blasphemer. Once again, as a person who is new in Christ, I could point to what I was, but that is not what I am today. And so he speaks of his former life. He's no longer what he once was. What was he? Well, he said, I once was a blasphemer. I was a persecutor and an insolent man. When he says I was once a blasphemer, the word blasphemer speaks concerning someone who cursed the name of Jesus. And he also forced others to do it because he thought that the worship of Jesus had no value. And that's what he would do. He was a persecutor. He was someone who would injure people. He would harm people, and he was insolent. He was a man who would heap insulting language upon others, and he would do them great harm. This is what he did. I would resist, I would reject, and I was violent in my opposition. But verse 13, I obtained mercy. The word mercy speaks of divine pity. I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. I obtained mercy because I was not willfully rejecting Jesus, but was rather more ignorant of him. I honestly believed, he's saying, that what I was doing was right and that I was honoring God. In Acts 26, verse 9, he said, I too was convinced that I ought to do all that was possible to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. I did it ignorantly, but I obtained mercy. God is merciful. God is merciful because he's compassionate and he loves us. The Psalmist in Psalm 103 verses 13 and 14 says, as a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him. He knows how we are formed. He remembers that we are dust. God is merciful. There are those who think that they've gone too far, but God's mercy extends much farther than you could ever run. You can run and run and run and come to the end of yourself and God is still waiting there. The hound of heaven, the spirit of God, follows you to the ends of the earth. And his desire is for all people to come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. His desire is for all to be saved and he has compassion and mercy. Understand that about the Lord. And Paul had come to know that. I obtained mercy. I did it ignorantly in unbelief. He said in verse 14, the grace of the Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love. That gives us insight into the love of God. When man sinned abundantly, grace abounded. The deeper the sin, the greater amount of mercy. In Romans 5 20, it simply says, where sin increased, grace increased all the more. And this amazing grace, this incredible mercy provoked Paul to serve Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 1510, it says, by the grace of God, I am what I am. His grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was in me. The grace of God provoked him to service. And I serve with faith and love, which are in Christ Jesus. You see, grace kindles faith and love and floods the soul with those divine gifts. Grace provokes us to have faith and love towards Christ. Psalm 116 verse 1 says, I love the Lord. He heard my voice. He heard my cry for mercy. And that's what God has done. He has loved you and He's given His Son for you. So, Timothy, don't forget that. And let me highlight it. He says in verse 15 in this way, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. You're surrounded by evil. You can get to the point where you think this world's gone too far. But that's not true at all. Where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.  You became an example of how deeply God loves and how merciful God is and how powerful God can be in transforming sinners into new creation. God has done that. God does that through His Son Jesus Christ. And Paul could point to himself and he can say, this is a faithful saying, this is worthy of all acceptance in the King James. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's why he came. He didn't come for the righteous, but for sinners, even as the well don't go to a physician, only the sick, even so sinners come to the Savior. The righteous who think that they're good without God would never even think about coming to Him. But people like us who know that we're not good, we're the ones who come to faith in Christ. And Jesus Christ came in order to save sinners. There are people in this room right now that the Lord is speaking to specifically who He is saying to you in one form or another, that He can save you. You may be even arguing in the back of your mind, you may even be thinking or entertaining the thought or you have in the past that you're too far gone and that's not true. God can reach you. God can save you. God can change you. God loves you. God is merciful and He's gracious and He is able. He by the power of His Holy Spirit can do a new work in you that is so intense and so great that those who know you best won't even believe the change that has taken place. I've mentioned to you before how more than once in this church, I've had someone approach me and say to me this, they've said that they came to church and invited a friend and the friend came and sat in the church service and after the service told the friend who had invited them to this church that they knew who I was. They said, that was David Rosales up there. And they go, yeah, he's the pastor. And they have said, this has happened twice to my memory. They said, I won't listen to what he says. I know him. I went to school with him. I know him. I know what he was. Yeah, but the key word is what I was. It's not what I am. God changes lives. He does it through the power of the Holy Spirit. He can transform you in such a way that those who knew you best would not believe at what has happened. And they'll look and they'll say, no, you're not the same person anymore. And that's the fact, isn't it? It's because God has a way of entering into your life. Through His Word, He transforms the way that you think. Your behavior is altered and you bring glory to God. And that is something we, the church, ought to be glad about and happy about and praise God for.  All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. You can become unrecognizable to those who knew you best. That's the gospel. And that's what Paul can point to. And Paul can say it. He can say, I formerly was this. This is what I was. You know that. You're in the midst of all of this sin. Remember, I was one who opposed the gospel. I put people in jail. I witnessed as someone who was saying they're worthy of death. From the first martyr in the Christian church, when Stephen died, I held the clothing of those who were putting them to death. I was a witness to that. I regarded that. I thought it was right. I was a blasphemer. I was injurious. I was a complete opponent to the gospel. But God used me as a template to show others how deeply he can change a life. Jesus Christ came to save sinners. The purpose of the incarnation, to save sinners, even one who had persecuted believers. In Matthew 1811, it says, the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost. Isaiah 53 verse five says, he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was upon him by his wounds. We are healed in Matthew 121. It reads, she will give birth to a son.  This is a faithful saying worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief. However, verse 16, for this reason, I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life. I obtained mercy as a pattern. That word pattern means a sketch. God, in other words, saved me and revealed the amazing depth of his mercy. Now, one thing that I want to point out here in this too by way of application. When he says, for this reason, I obtained mercy that in me first Jesus Christ might show all long suffering as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting life. This reveals the depth of his personal sorrow over sin. I was the greatest of sinners. He didn't have a bad sense of self-esteem. There are those who would say, oh, look at him. He's just a miserable wretch of a man. He doesn't understand who he was. I've heard so-called Christian teachers say that about the apostle Paul. That's not what Paul is saying. Paul isn't there just having a very deep sense of disregard for his personhood. He's just aware of his sinfulness and he's never forgotten what he was. And because he hasn't forgotten what he was, that has enhanced his thankfulness for what God has done. I have a belief that I want to remember who I was. I don't have a desire to go back. God knows that. I don't have a desire to return to the vomit. I don't want to go back to the mud that I as a pig had been washed from. No, I don't want to return to that. I don't look at commercials on TV where all these healthy people are drinking beers and bars after going bowling and say, boy, that looks like fun. I don't do that. I remember too many wasted days and wasted nights as the prophet Freddie Fender once said. I remember, some of you don't even know who he is. That's okay. That was for the old people. But I remember those things. I remember them. I haven't forgotten. I haven't forgotten what it's like to wake up in the morning with a hangover. I haven't forgotten what it's like to have vomit all over my body because I vomited on myself or others did it on top of me. I haven't forgotten that. I haven't forgotten what it's like to wake up in a shack in somebody's backyard with black widows all around me laying on the ground because I was so drunk I couldn't even find my way to a car to get myself home then. I haven't forgotten that. I haven't forgotten what it's like to rob my own parents to get some money to try and hack some things appliances at a pawn shop so I could buy dope. I haven't forgotten that. I haven't forgotten what it's like to be arrested, put in a jail cell. I haven't forgotten that. I don't want to forget that. Why? Because, forgive me, because it makes me grateful for what I have now in Jesus Christ. It makes me grateful. I don't want to go back. I have no admiration. I don't have any joy in that. That is not something I long for. But he uses us as a pattern of his mercy. He wasn't somebody who wanted to forget all of that in the sense of, oh, it's causing me to be feeling so bad. No, he's simply saying, God, use that in my life to make me a pattern of his divine mercy for others. Listen, God can change your life and make you a testimony of the power of his grace and transformation. He can do that. And God wants to do that. You may be thinking you've gone too far. No, you haven't. You may be thinking, oh, I've committed the unpardonable sin. No, you haven't. As long as there is breath, there is hope. And the Holy Spirit can draw you and can change you because that's what he does and he does it best. And he's saying, I obtained mercy as a pattern, as a sketch. I've obtained this because when God saved me, he revealed his amazing mercy to others. In 1 Corinthians 15, 9, he said, I'm the least of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. So, Timothy, you're in the midst of a city that rejects the gospel and you can be overcome by how dark it is, how sinful it is, how accepting this society is towards all of these sins that God has rejected and commanded us to come out of. And as a pastor, a young man, you can be there thinking, what am I going to be able to do? What kind of plan should I have? How can I reach these people?  Just remember that in the darkness, the light shines the brightest. And just remember that the message of the gospel is a message of transformation, that the message of the gospel is a message of the love of God. And how God loved man so much, he gave his son. And just remember that I, Paul could say to Timothy as your mentor, as your pastor, that I'm a sketch of mercy, that God saved me, I who persecuted the church, he put me in the ministry, he counted me faithful. And Timothy, he can do the same for you. Trust him. My heart has been broken over sin. I persecuted the church, but I am grateful for this, for the salvation that I have in Christ. And I'm so thankful for his grace. As a matter of fact, he says in verse 17, to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, the honor and glory forever and ever. That's a song. That's actually a song. You wouldn't see that as you're reading that. Therefore, I point that out to you. That's a song. It's a song of praise. He, in his thinking about where he was and what he'd done and who God is and what God has done, he can't help but praise the Lord in song. He has put a new song in our hearts, a song of salvation and the song of praise for what he has done. That's why in services like this church services, music is not an afterthought. Music is a prelude, as we're about to receive the word. It's an offering to God of gratitude because if your heart has been touched by God, you can't help but sing to him words of praise and gratitude. That's where it comes from. It comes from a heart of praise. You see, God has done something. He has changed your life. God has done something. He's forgiven you of your sins. God has done something. He's given to you his Holy Spirit. God has done something. He's given you his word. God has done something. He's created a family. God has done something. Why can't we praise him? We ought to praise him for all that God has done. We're going to go through this place into another place into heaven. Why wouldn't I be grateful? And that's why you sing. And that's why you praise the Lord. And music in a church isn't just a song and a band and a style. What it is, it's an outpouring of gratitude. Oh God, you've been so good to me. I can't help but say thank you in song. That's worship. And that's what God would have us to do. Worship him. Has God been good to you? Has God been good to you? Indeed. Indeed he has. Salvation puts a new song in your heart. Somebody said, from my smitten heart with tears to wonders I confess, the wonders of his glorious love and my own worthlessness. When you see the Lord for who he is, he has a way of showing you who you are. And when you see yourself in the light of who he is, it breaks you. And when it breaks you and you turn to him and say, God, be merciful to me, I am a sinner. I have sinned in thought. I have sinned in word. I have sinned in action. Lord, I am thoroughly in need of your forgiveness. And you hear God say, if any man confesses their sin to me, I will forgive them a hundred percent. If we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. And you say, God, be merciful to me, a sinner. God says, I forgive you. Then this old song that you had, this song that was so down and so depressed, has replaced with the new song of praise and happiness. That's what God does in us. Isn't it? He awakens in us the joy of forgiveness. Yeah, sometimes life is tough and who's to say it isn't. And sometimes it's filled with heartbreak and who's to say that doesn't happen. But see, I'm just passing through. This world isn't my home. One of these days, I'm going to close my eyes here only to open my eyes there. And when I open my eyes there, I'm not going to be thinking of what I went through here. I'm going to be worshiping and praising him for what he's done because of Jesus Christ. And I'll be singing to him unshackled. I'll be singing to him unhindered. I'll be singing to him in praise. Does that sound odd? No, that's Christianity. That's why we live. We live and we breathe because of him. And we want to worship and praise him because he is worthy. Why? Because he saved us. He took us from the Myrie clay. He put our feet on solid ground. He wrote my name in the Lamb's Book of Life. He's one day going to say, come up here. He's going to say, enter into the joy of thy Lord and that will make all of this worth it. May we worship and praise God today for what he has done, for what he has done.