Bible Teaching on Righteousness and Sinners: 1 Timothy 1:9-10

God warns us of trials ahead as his children.

Jesus' love for us is greater than any mother's love.

As believers, we will face persecution and suffering.

Peter warns us to rejoice in our sufferings, knowing we share in Christ's.

The The title of this message today is called, If the Righteous Are Barely Saved, What Happens to Ungodly Sinners? You know, the most wonderful thing in the life of a believer in Jesus Christ is that God our Father has given us fair forewarning of trials that await us as his children. He gives complete assurance of the love and the care that he has for us when he tells us in Isaiah chapter 49 verse 16 that he has us inscribed on the palms of his hands and that our walls are continually before him. It is said there is nothing greater than a mother's love for her children. But, and I can tell you, dear one, there is no greater love than that of our dear Lord and father Jesus Christ for their very own children. In John chapter 15 verses 13 through 19, Jesus declares, no one has greater love, no one has shown stronger affection than to lay down, to give up his own life for his friends. For you are my friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do. I do not call you servants, slaves any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing. But I have called you my friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my father. I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from him. You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and I have appointed you. I have planted you, that you might go and bear fruit and keep on bearing, and that your fruit may be lasting, that it may remain, abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name as presenting all that I am, he may give it to you. Verse 17, And this is what I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, know that it hated me before it hated you. If you belong to the world, the world eat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world, no longer one with it, I have chosen, selected you out of the world, and the world hates and detests you. So Jesus warns us that we will have trouble in this world under the control and sway of the prince of the power of the air, who is none other than Satan the devil, who will target those who belong to Jesus Christ and are truly following him. In fact, Peter warns believers of the fiery trial which awaits them in 1 Peter 4 in verse 12. Beloved, do not be amazed and bewildered at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test your quality as though something strange, unusual, and alien to you in your position were befalling you. But insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, rejoice, so that when his glory, his full radiance and splendor is revealed, you may also rejoice with triumph exaltingly. If you are censored and suffer abuse because you bear the name of Christ, Blessed are you, happy, fortunate to be envied with life, joy, and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition. Because the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God is resting on you. On their part, he is blasphemed, but on your part, he is glorified. Verse 15. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or a thief, or any sort of criminal, or as a mischief-maker, a meddler, in the affairs of others, infringing on their rights. But if one is ill-treated and suffers as a Christian, which he is contemptuously called, let him not be ashamed, but give glory to God that he is deemed worthy to suffer in his name. Verse 17 For the time has arrived for judgment to begin with the household of God. And if it begins with us, what will be the end of those who do not respect or believe or obey the good news, the gospel of God? 18 And if the righteous are barely saved, what will become of the godless and the wicked? Therefore, those who are ill-treated and suffer in accordance with God's will must do right, commit their souls in charge as a deposit to the one who created them and will never fail them. Wow. Well, since the believers to whom Peter was writing in his first epistle were suffering for Christ's sake, he wanted them to know they were beloved and they were ones deserving the love of God in spite of their suffering. I was really saddened to see in the NIV Bible translation that it changed the original translation of Beloved to say only dear friends. Indeed, if we do as Christ says and obey his commands, he does call us his friends. but because it is essential that we remember as we suffer for Christ that we continue to be loved by him. The term beloved carries a wonderfully heavy weight of endearment with it. In the opening of these verses, Peter gives a direct command warning saying, Don't be surprised. The meaning here is, Do not permit yourselves to be taken by surprise. In other words, sufferings due to one's association with Christ are not to be thought of as something strange. This suffering is real, but it is not strange. Peter wants us to have the attitude of constant preparedness. He wants us to be watchful so that at no time at all will we be surprised by any specific situations. Have you found yourself in the past, before you grew in the maturity of the Lord, rising up and getting angry or mad, as you unjustly suffered as you endured to live a holy life? Can I tell you that this kind of reaction is only the old carnal nature within us acting out? but Peter gives us ample warning to prepare and not think of it as strange concerning the fiery trial which has come to try you he says don't think of it as something strange that has happened to you but he returns to what he has often touched upon in this particular letter and that is to mainly exhort Christian believers to behave with patience and integrity under their present severe persecution. And he uses the following points as he outlines the course of action in this verse. He says, life indicates that it was not strange or an unusual thing for people of God to be persecuted. And secondly, he says that if they suffered as Christ suffered, they would be hereafter glorified with them hallelujah and besides the prospect of future glory that that they would have with him they presently had the spirit of god for their support and their comfort and number four that it was an honor for any of them to suffer not as a criminal but is a Christian believer. And five, he said that though these afflictions began with the Christians, yet the weight of the storm would fall upon unbelievers. Well, Peter, in his last comments, declared that from all of these points, he exhorted the brethren to keep their responsibilities and trust all that they might go through to God. To be victorious with God, they must do it in this way. In effect he saying let your faith arise You know when one is emotionally disturbed and angry inside they are apt to make wrong decisions and thus say things do things in retaliation for unjust persecutions they are receiving. But as you have seen, dear one, Apostle Peter gives warning ahead of time of the dangers facing us, and he instead urges us as believers to rejoice in the sufferings that come our way. So now instead of suffering causing a believer distress, they should constantly rejoice. Did you ever have anyone character assassinate you? Have you ever had anyone tell an outright lie about you? Has anyone ever accused you of being unjust when you were not? did you ever have anyone accuse you of being an atheist when you are not and you knew within your own heart and soul that you truly love the lord jesus christ with all that is in you and you would never do anything that would be against his will well peter tells us to rejoice a true christian can rejoice and feel joyful in this way because he knows he is sharing in christ's suffering I remember praying and asking the Holy Spirit many years ago to make my face like Flint because knowing that God called me to teach his word I knew that there would be many would come against me for many different reasons including being a woman face used here in scripture represents the heart a face like flint is symbolic for saying lord make my heart strong like flint or a hardened heart that when negative looks or comments come they will bounce off and will not have effect by being hurtful or offensive now the saying comes from when the lord god spoke to prophet ezekiel in ezekiel chapter 3 verses 7 through 9 when he said but the house of israel will not listen to you because it will not listen to me for all the house of israel are impudent and hard-hearted behold i have made your face strong against their faces and your forehead against their foreheads like adamant stone harder than flint i have made your forehead do not be afraid of them or be dismayed at their looks though they are a rebellious house so we see that the Israelites would not listen to Ezekiel because they refused to listen to the Lord and the sent him the prophet spoke the words of the Lord and we read that all of them were very stubborn and obstinate both Isaiah and Jeremiah were told not to expect dramatic positive responses to their ministries so there's no doubt one so deaf is a person who definitely doesn't want to hear the truth and it's sad because they wish to remain spiritually blind so these verses we've read show that the lord had made ezekiel as hard nosed as the israelites but he would not give up speaking to them any more than they would refuse to listen to him therefore the prophet should not fear his audience and the meaning of ezekiel is interesting it means god strengthener god hardens he reminded the prophet and others that the lord would strengthen him and harden him against the attack of his critical enemies The Lord God instructed Ezekiel further to take heart all that he would tell him and to listen closely to him. He was to go to the Jewish exiles and relay God's messages whether they paid attention to him or not. Dear listener, God's word must become vital and a precious part of the messenger before he or she can go and speak to others about God. the most difficult task of the messenger is to bring change to people's minds and this means pulling up the weeds of false theology and planting the good seed of the word of god and it also means tearing down flimsy vain ideas of man-made doctrines that false prophets and teachers build and construct in their places. Can I tell you that all this knowledge, awareness of suffering and discernment doesn't come automatically when you're a new baby in Jesus Christ? This is called growing in maturity. Let's look again at verses 13 and 14. Again, we're still in 1 Peter chapter 4 but in so far as you are sharing christ's suffering rejoice so that when his glory full radiance and splendor is revealed you may rejoice and triumph exultantly verse 14 if you are censored and suffer abuse because you bear the name of christ blessed are you happy fortunate to be envied with life, joy, and satisfaction in God's favor and salvation, regardless of your outward condition, because the spirit of glory, the spirit of God is resting upon you. On their part, he is blasphemed, but on your part, he is glorified. You see, as you grow in the Lord, this joy will be very special in which Peter speaks about. So much so that Peter describes it by saying it makes you want to leap and dance with triumph and exultingly so. With the glory of God resting upon us, we can certainly rejoice and shout and dance when we are faced with abusive trials. This kind of joy is centered in your Lord Jesus Christ, dear ones. It is a divine and supernatural joy that has impregnated your spirit and soul by precious Holy Spirit. You know who you belong to, and you know who is your master and the one in whom you love. You would never knowingly do anything to offend him and speak or teach anything contrary to what his word says. How exciting, dear listener. Our joy and rejoicing in heaven will be a greater measure than we know on this earth. no eye has seen, no ear has heard what he has in store for those who trust and love him seen in this light the foreborn Christian can indeed rejoice even in his greatest affliction and trials but now we come to the next part of the real purpose of this message entitled today where Peter transitions and speaks about those who reject Christ and can expect much worse Verse 17 declares, and charge as a deposit to the one who created them and will never fail them. You see, God judges his children during life on earth in order to strengthen and purify our faith in him. Our scripture shows those who reject Christ can expect much worse. The word of God that states the righteous are scarcely or barely saved, we think about how can this be is not salvation promised to all believers is there any doubt about it well we have to say none whatsoever the righteous here means not the one who is righteous in himself because there's no such person in the world the scripture tells us that all self-righteousness is considered as filthy rags. But a true believer in Christ, a converted man or woman, is one who has been justified by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and diligently seeks daily to live to please him and live in his will. There's no doubt about an individual's salvation like this. He is a branch of the true vine in Jesus Christ. the truly redeemed person is considered one of the sheep of the Lord flock Eternal life has been given to him by his savior he shall never perish and none shall pluck him out of his good savior hands john chapter 10 verse 28 what then does scarcely or barely saved mean well there's a couple of testimonies that can be used as example of the terms barely or scarcely saved. In one is, there was a fire that broke out in a home in London. In it was thought all the inhabitants were saved until a man was seen hanging by his hands from one of the upper window sills. The portable fire escape was immediately placed nearby him, but did not reach him. The fireman then climbed up to him and called him to let himself drop on the top step of the escape, but the man did not answer because he was deaf and dumb. With great difficulty the fireman managed by standing on the top step to reach high enough to tap his foot to attract his attention the man was saved but barely or scarcely saved another example it was a frosty winter day the ice seemed strong and the pond was crowded with people suddenly a sharp crackling sound was heard and only a second later someone cried out a boy is under the ice. The boy had ventured too near the dangerous part and ice had given away and he fell through the hole and sunk beneath. Not a moment was lost. A line was formed to the shore. Of those nearest the hole, they stretched themselves face down flat on the ice. The boy rose to the surface. The nearest hand lay hold of him and the line gently moved towards the shore and in a few minutes the boy laid on the bank, but he was senseless. They took him to the nearest house and applied the usual means for recovery, but it seemed all was in vain. His eyes were closed and his limbs were stiff and cold and there was no breath in him. At length, when hope was almost passed, signs of life appeared. The limbs began to warm up and the stiffness relaxed and he breathed again. The boy was saved, but only just saved, barely or scarcely saved. You see, either of these examples may be helpful to us and explain for us to see how the righteous person is said to be barely or scarcely saved. It is not that they are almost saved or certainly saved but dear one it is because of the great danger that he was in and the great difficulties that he's been brought through that he could be saved listen by nature he's a child of wrath dead in his trespasses and sin with no power or desire to turn to god sound familiar we were all children of wrath until we truly came to Jesus Christ. But through God's grace, the individual had his spiritual eyes opened up by the precious Holy Spirit to see his dreadful danger and to see Jesus Christ and have a change of heart which was worked in his soul by the Holy Spirit of God. The truly redeemed child of God has become a new creature in Christ and has passed from death unto life. Hallelujah. But wait, our difficulties are not over. We are told all throughout scripture about the snares and the temptations that lie in our path and in our hearts, even though we've been renewed by grace. You see, the redeemed child of God is by no means free from sin. He finds the Christian life to be no smooth and easy course, or we can call it a cakewalk, but rather we are warned that this is the race of our life and will be full of troubles and warfare. From the first to the last, a new believer will often mourn and pine over their own backslidings and shortcomings, and probably he has trials of one kind or another. He has losses, sorrows and afflictions but we are told and comforted by the fact that God our father does not leave his children undisciplined the chastisements of our heavenly father is other than of anger and thus it is through danger and difficulty temptation and trial that the Christian is saved your listener and you You see, there will be many, many rough places the individual must pass through, many battles to be fought, many sorrows that he must bear before his race is finished. He is saved, but scarcely saved. Yet as surely or scarcely or barely, he is tried and harassed, but he's not lost. And we are told that all of our trials and troubles refine us like fine gold. God is in it if we are faithful followers of his we may be warned, tempted and persecuted but we are not cast away God's love and faithfulness work together for his salvation my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall anyone pluck them out of my hand my father who has given them to me is greater than all and no one is able to snatch them out of my father's hand I and my father are one John chapter 10 verses 27 through 30 now comes a solemn question if the righteous is scarily saved then what will become of the unrighteous we are told that time had come when judgment must begin at the household of God first and that will go to every nation. God always generally begins with his own people first and then he will go to the ungodly and the sinners who have turned away from him. It is the Bible that puts this question about the unrighteous. What will become of the unrighteous? They are in fact the words of God dear listener written through and by Apostle Peter. They are God's word to you. If you are among the ungodly and the sinners, God's solemn question to your soul is a question, but this question is without an answer because the answer is left up to you to do something about it or with it. The ungodly and the sinner. Why are there two words instead of one? Why did Peter use two words? Why did God through Peter give two words? Well, what is the difference, you may ask? On purpose, it would seem to take sinners of all sorts, the hardened transgressor, the man who lives in many habits of sin, the bold, wicked man, the weak and the wavering man, the light and the careless, the worldly, the empty professors of faith. and this would be all who are living without God in the world, all who are not washed in the precious blood of Jesus Christ and renewed by precious Holy Spirit. It is quite plain that Peter means here all who are not righteous. He puts righteousness on one side and the ungodly and the sinner on the other side. On one side or the other, he describes everybody. It is just the same as if he had said, If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall all the rest appear? Now, I may provoke you today to ask yourself honestly whether you are among the righteous. The question is not whether you are better or worse than your neighbor or those around you. It has nothing to do with it. The question is, are you personally righteous? The term righteousness, according to the Bible dictionary, means holy and upright living in accordance with God's standard. The word righteous comes from the root word dachian It means straightness It refers to a state that conforms to an authoritative standard Righteousness is a moral concept God character is the definition and source of all righteousness Therefore, man's righteousness is defined in terms of God's righteousness. I ask you, are you truly transformed, converted, and do you believe with a new heart? Are you conscious of sin that easily besets you? Do you hate it and are you doing something about it? Are you seeking daily to truly live for God and are learning to love, to study and find joy in his word found in the Bible? Is your love growing for the one who died a horrible death upon the cross for you? If not, then this question about the ungodly and the sinner pertains to you. Maybe you don't like either of these words. You may say that you do not pretend to be righteous, yet you might think that you are not so bad. Then I have to say that you think as those who are called ungodly and sinners, they're self-deceived. I ask you if you say you are neither righteous nor godly, what are you then? there is nothing in the Bible between righteous and unrighteous godly and ungodly reconciled and unreconciled and if you are not righteous in God's sight before him whatever you might be in your own eyes or in the eyes of the world before him you are ungodly or sinful I appeal to you this day to consider what is spoken to you in this year of 2023 because the signs of the time and the state of this world are just as jesus spoke about in matthew chapter 24 beginning in verse 7 when he said for nations shall rise up against nation and kingdom against kingdom there will be famines and earthquakes in places after place verse 8 all this is the beginning the early pains the birth pains of the intolerable anguish verse 9 then they will hand you over to suffer affliction and tribulation and put you to death and you'll be hated by all nations for my name's sake and then many will be offended and repelled and will begin to distrust and desert him whom they ought to trust and obey and will stumble and fall away and betray one another and pursue one another with hatred verse 11 and many false prophets will rise up and deceive many and lead them into air and the love of the great body of people will grow cold because of the multiplied lawlessness and iniquity but he who endures it to the end shall be saved did you see that did you hear that those who confess to belong to Jesus Christ will turn away and betray him and one another. The love that they professed to have for Christ for him and others broke hold. They were careless while they had breath to truly draw close to the one who died for them and prove his love for them by going to the cross for them. Their love for him was shallow. And now, dear listener, we come to the question itself. Where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? But this question must not be taken by itself. It hangs upon the one gone before about the righteous. If the righteous one is scarcely or barely saved, then where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? The full meaning is this. Seeing that even the righteous man is scarcely saved, that his dangers and difficulties are great, that he finds it necessary to put on the full armor of God stated in Ephesians 6 verse 11 and to press on towards the mark according to Philippians chapter 3 verse 14 and to strive to enter through the narrow gate as Jesus told us in Luke chapter 13 verse 24 and with this to be saved only by Jesus Christ yet it is as one who is rescued from the waters or the flames seeing all this what will become of the wicked what about the sinner who lives in the habits of unrepentant sin and wickedness never repenting never turning never believing and yet to say that they are saved you have never entered the race of life and yet you think you will win the prize and wear the crown though never having taken up your own cross have you ever read about the wheat and the tares in Matthew chapter 13 verse 30 and the one about the sheep and the goats that Jesus talks about or the right hand and the left hand in Matthew 25 verse 33 you see the Bible speaks of a broad road and a narrow road a straight gate and a wide gate do you know where they lead here are the words of the lord our lord our precious savior words from his mouth he tells and instructs enter by the narrow gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction and there are many who go in by it because narrow is the gate difficult is the way which leads to life and there are few who find it you see dear listener the righteous and the wicked are traveling different roads and will come to different ends a great separation day is coming when every plant which god has not planted will be rooted up according to matthew 25 verse 13 and all shelters of lies will be swept away according to isaiah 28 verse 17 and the true sheep of Jesus Christ from every quarter of the earth shall be gathered into one fold into which no mere pretender of the faith shall ever come near to that great day this question seems to point where shall the ungodly in the center appear appear when Then there will be on that very day when the Lord Jesus Christ shall appear in glory, and the saints who slept shall appear with him, and his waiting people on the earth shall appear with joy to meet him. Then where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? Appear they must somewhere else. They cannot hide themselves. Revelation chapter 1 verse 7 declares Behold, he is coming with the clouds and every eye shall see him even those who pierced him and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him O sinner, you who are careless and half-hearted now where will you appear? How will you feel then? The word tells us in vain many will call upon the mountains and the rocks to fall upon them and hide them from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. Today I leave this question to your conscience. If the righteous one is scarcely saved, then where will the ungodly and the sinner appear? Can you think of this and yet continue in sin and still put off coming to Christ? The Lord Jesus Christ appeals to you to come to him this day and he will not fail you. His words cannot fail. No one true believer shall be lost. He is able to save all those who come to God through him. He will save them with an everlasting salvation. Turn from sin in the world today. Leave the broad road and begin to walk on the narrow way, dear one. It is a safe way, though it's narrow. It's the only safe way. It is a joyful way, even though it will be rough at times. Make your decision today. Too much time has been lost already. Don't delay any longer. No longer run the risk of appearing among the ungodly and the sinners. It is coming. Jesus Christ is coming soon. Repent of your sins and ask that the Lord Jesus Christ forgive you. Let your journey into his arms of love be your starting point. You'll never regret your decision because this is forever and eternity.

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