God is More Powerful Than Your Past, 1 Timothy 1:12-14
From 1969-1973 Charles Colson held one of the most powerful positions in the world of American politics: Special Counsel to the President and he was absolutely ruthless in wielding that power. Known widely as the White House “hatchet man,” Colson was feared by even the most powerful of politicians. A prominent member of the media once described Colson as a man “incapable of humanitarian thought.”
In 1974 Colson pleaded guilty to Watergate-related charges and became the first member of the Nixon administration incarcerated for crimes committed in the Watergate debacle. Interestingly, when Colson entered Alabama’s Maxwell Prison in 1974 he did so as a brand new Christian. Colson’s conversion so shocked those who knew him that the Boston Globe wrote, “If Mr. Colson can repent of his sins, there just has to be hope for anybody.” Those who’ve watched him since have no doubt that his conversion was genuine.
This tough as nails hatchet man has been totally transformed by the love of Jesus Christ. Since his conversion he has dedicated his life to sharing that love with others. And he has a special love for those in prisons and the family members of those prisoners.
After his release from prison he founded, in 1976, Prison Fellowship Ministries. Still leading that organization today, it has become the world’s largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners, crime victims and their families. Prison Fellowship Ministries now includes a network of more than 50,000 prison ministry volunteers.
Angel Tree, one of Prison Fellowship’s many ministries gives Christmas presents to more than 500,000 children of incarcerated parents and offers a summer camping ministry, in partnership with local churches, to those same children. And, amazingly, all of this is being done under the direction of a man once described as “incapable of humanitarian thought.”
In addition to his work with Prison Fellowship Ministry, Colson has also authored more than 20 books, which have sold millions of copies. He also hosts a daily radio commentary called, “BreakPoint.” Airing on more than 1,000 radio stations nationwide, Colson uses the commentary to help people engage the world from a biblical perspective.
Colson has also become one of the most sought after public speakers in the country. In 1993 he received the prestigious Templeton Prize for progress in religion. A prize, which includes a cash gift of $1 million.
Yet, this man “incapable of humanitarian thought,” refuses to profit from any of his success. Every dollar he earns through his book sales, his speaking engagements…even the $1 million Templeton prize…every dollar is donated to his Prison Fellowship Ministry. Colson allows the ministry to pay him the modest salary of a mid-range ministry executive.
I absolutely love the story of the complete transformation of Charles Colson’s life because of the many lessons that it teaches us about the heart of God, about His power to change us and about the kind of relationship that He longs to have with us. This morning, as we prepare to come to The Lord’s Table, I want to call your attention to 3 of those lessons…
…the first of which is this: Nothing you have done in your past can keep God from loving you. Folks, burn that truth into your mind. Write it into your permanent memory. Settle this one, once and for all, because this is a life-changer: Nothing you have done in your past…absolutely nothing…can keep God from loving you.
Folks, it’s an astounding insight into the heart and character of God that cannot help but profoundly impact for the good everyone who gets it. One who clearly got it was the Apostle Paul. Listen to what he writes in 1 Timothy 1, beginning at verse 12:
“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” Then, in verse 15 he adds, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.”
Paul was blown away by God’s unquenchable, undeniable desire to love him. By his own estimation he was the “worst” of sinners. And yet God’s love reached even to him. In fact, it didn’t merely reach him. It poured over him in abundant demonstrations of strength, mercy, grace and faith and love. Paul, the self-acknowledged worst sinner of all was completely transformed by a personal encounter with the love of God.
And 2000 years later, the same thing happened to Charles Colson. And this place is filled, right now, with people who would gladly say, “The same thing happened to me.” And if it hasn’t happened to you yet, it can. God’s love can reach even to you and when it does it will change your life.
Now, in a group of this size it’s likely that someone here, right now, is thinking, “That sounds great, Pastor Tom, but you don’t know my life. You don’t know the awful thing(s) that I work so hard to keep hidden in my past.
–I wrecked a marriage with an affair.
–I ruined the reputation of a good person with my lies.
–I walked away from my kids.
–I stole money from my work.
–I got pregnant and had an abortion.
Pastor Tom, you just don’t know the awful things I’ve done.”
And you’re right. I don’t know the awful things you’ve done. But I know the heart and character of God. And I know that this is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Nothing you have done in your past can keep God from loving you. Absolutely nothing.
And here’s something else I know. Nothing you have done in your past can keep God from saving you. Folks, hear what I’m saying and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Especially not that inner voice of insecurity and doubt that we all have inside of us. Folks, this is the very heart of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ: even the worst of our sins is absolutely no match for the forgiveness that God makes available to everyone through Jesus. And that means that there is nothing that you have done in your past…absolutely nothing…that can keep God from saving you.
Listen again to what Paul wrote in verse 15: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.” Did you catch that? Jesus didn’t come to save perfect people, worthy people, deserving people or good people. He came for the specific purpose of saving sinners.
Romans 5:8 says it like this: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” God has a passionate, unquenchable love for flawed people. For imperfect people. For people who do genuinely hurtful, even horrific things. God loves sinners. In fact, He loves them so much, that He sent His son Jesus to save them. In fact, let me be more specific than that: He sent His son to save us.
And here’s what I mean when I say that Jesus came to save us.
–It means that Jesus died on the cross to secure for us what we could not secure for ourselves: the forgiveness of our sins. God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment of the penalty for our sins. That’s the gospel. That’s God’s plan to get us saved. All that’s left for us to do is acknowledge our need to be saved and then trust Jesus as our Savior. That’s the first part of being saved.
–But when we say that Jesus came to save us, it also means that Jesus came to empower the change that will begin to grow us into the person that God created us to be. What does that change look like? It looks like the difference between Charles Colson before and Charles Colson after. It looks like the difference between a self-centered, quick tempered, mean-spirited man incapable of humanitarian thought and a man sending Christmas presents every year to a ½ million children whose parents are in prison. Life changing transformation is also part of being saved.
–Finally, being saved also means knowing that death will not be the end of your life, but simply the beginning of the next and best part of your life because you are going to live with God forever in heaven. In John 3:16, Jesus said it like this, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
Folks, that’s what I mean when I say that Jesus came to save us.
–He forgives all of our sin.
–He empowers us to make the changes that will grow us into the person that God created us to be.
–And He secures our eternal destiny with God in heaven.
2000 years ago, he saved Paul, the self-confessed “worst” of sinners.
2000 years later, he saved Charles Colson, the man “incapable of humanitarian thought.
And he can save you if you’ll just ask Him to do so. Folks, here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:
Nothing you have done in your past can keep God from saving you.
And there’s one more lesson I want us to see this morning. And it’s this: Nothing you have done in your past can keep God from using you. There is nothing that you have done in your past that is so bad that it would cause God to write you off and decide that you are of no use to Him. That you could not possibly have a role to play in the work that he is doing in our midst today. He might be able to save you, but you’ll always be a second-class citizen in the Kingdom of God because God can’t use a person with your past for any significant Kingdom work.
Folks, don’t believe that. That’s a lie. The truth is that God does some of His best work through the most imperfect of people. Nothing you have done in your past…absolutely nothing…can keep God from using you.
Listen again to what Paul wrote in verse 12, “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though…”
Folks, those are some of the most beautiful, most empowering, most hopeful words in the entire Bible. “Even though…” I can tell you from personal experience that if it weren’t for those two words I wouldn’t be here.
–I don’t deserve to be your pastor. I’m your pastor even though…
–Charles Colson doesn’t deserve a leading role in a prominent ministry. He’s a minister even though…
–And Paul didn’t deserve to be an apostle. Paul was an Apostle even though…
The truth is, there’s not a person in this room today worthy of the honor of serving God. But if you are a child of God, saved by your faith in Jesus, He will use you for great things even though…
Folks, here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Nothing you have done in your past…absolutely nothing…can keep God from loving you…keep God from saving you…or keep God using you.
Because every sin you’ve ever committed was paid for by the broken body of Christ…and every sin you’ve ever committed has been completely washed away by the blood of Jesus.
If you have placed your faith and trust in Jesus as your Savior, then I want to invite you to come to one of these Tables and remember what Jesus has done for you, thank Him for what He’s doing in you and celebrate the relationship that you have with Him.
If you have not yet trusted Jesus to be your Savior, then I want to invite you to do so right now. I want you to experience the freedom from guilt that comes when Jesus forgives our sin. I want you to experience the life-transforming power that Christ’s presence sets free in His children. I want you to experience the joy of knowing that you’re going to spend eternity in heaven. And it can all begin right now. As we sing these songs, silently tell Him that you know you’ve sinned and ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior.
