Can any of us identify with this Man? (1 Timothy 1:12-16)
People are people is a common phrase uttered from time to time. It is often said when referring to churches, society, and the world at large. The gist of the is saying is that regardless of where you go there will be commonalties among individuals that will
resemble others in an entirely different place.
Faces may change and names may be different but the adage is true, people are people. Realizing that people are people, I am sure that God in God’s infinite wisdom foreknew all of the things that humanity would involve itself with.
Having that insight, God made provisions for all of humanity through Jesus Christ’s coming into this life to die for the sins of humanity.
Our scriptural passage today helps us with delve into the concept that people are people through the life of the Apostle Paul. While addressing Timothy, a young man he had taken under his wings and had begun to mentor, Paul is giving his testimony.
This testimony is significant because it shows that Paul did not attempt to hide anything that he
had previously done or involved himself in. It clearly reveals that he held back nothing but was open in sharing his witness to Timothy.
It is also crucial for readers of this passage to see that Paul could look back over his life and see what God is capable of doing for anyone open to God’s presence in one’s life.
He began his discourse with Timothy by crediting Jesus Christ with giving him strength and calling him from one way of living and interacting into another way of living and interacting. He
further stated to his younger counterpart that he was once a blasphemer, a persecutor,and a violent person.
But notice that he did not stop there, he went on to say that he recognized that it was God who extended him mercy while he was acting counter to the
gospel. He ascribed his behavior as being ignorant and also stipulated that there was once a time he did not believe what he had been exposed to as far as the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This testimony sounds familiar to me. I am sure that it also sounds familiar to you. People are people and that’s why I posed the theme of this message in the form of a question, “Can anyone of Us Identify with this Man?”
Is there anyone here who can resonate with Paul’s testimony that he or she once was a non-
believer in the Christian faith? Can anyone of us here who identify with the fact that Paul actually made fun of Christians and vehemently opposed anything that resembled Christianity? Can anyone of us here acknowledge without pretense or shame like Paul that you were shown mercy by God despite your unbelief and negative behavior?
I need to know today, can any of us say like Paul said in verse 14 of 1 Timothy 1 that the Lord looked beyond your shortcomings and extended grace abundantly on your behalf? I wish there were a few witnesses in here to what the apostle had to say about that trust worthy saying that deserves full acceptance. How many of us have finally come to
the belief that Jesus Christ did come into this life to save humanity from its sins?
If there were only a few witnesses like Paul who did not deny his past but affirmed his present state as well by stating that there was a time he was a number one sinner.
Is there anyone in here who can possibly identify with this man who came to the realization that the God of creation loves humanity so much that God extends God’s grace and mercy to the worst of us?
I don’t know about you today church, but for me that’s good news. It’s good to know that God can and will do for us what was done for Paul.
People are people and there are still some people in life who have not gotten to the place where God would have them to be. Even with a bad attitude toward God and others who espouse to the Christian faith God still was able to use Paul.
Can any of us identify with this man? I really need to know today? Do I have one witness in this place.
Well, if you won’t tell it I guess I’ll have to tell it. I too was like this man name Paul. Despite the fact that I had been reared in a Christian home it took a while for me to really accept Christ into my life as my personal savior. Yes, I was on the wrong
road and needed to change my direction just like the apostle did. The only problem with that fact is that I could not do it myself. Neither could Paul and neither can anyone else.
It took God’s grace and mercy just as it did for Paul to get me going in the right direction.
I can say today, I still have a ways to go but thank God I can identify with this man.
I have a story to share and no one can tell it like I can. Yes, people are people and thank God that God is God. Had grace and mercy not been in abundance for the Apostle Paul we would not the privilege of reading and reflecting on his life. In like manner, had
not grace and mercy been displayed in our lives as we lived in opposition to the Christian faith by our ways and actions, we would not be here today.
We all have a story and just like the apostle did for God and Timothy, we should share it. Yes, that story is not to lift up Paul but to lift up the fact that God can take anyone’s life and make it different. It shows us that there is nothing too hard for God if we are willing to be obedient to God’s word.
I’m just like Paul, unfortunately I can’t say that I’ve lived a stellar life void of sin or shortcoming. But, fortunately I can say that he
touched me one day and my life has not been the same. I still feel like pressing on even when it appears that the cares of this life are overwhelming.
I’m constantly reminded that God’s grace and mercy will carry me through just like it carried Paul through his tough times.
If we can identify with this man name Paul, we should share our stories with others like Timothy who may be new to the faith. We can also make a difference in the lives of those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as one’s Lord and Savior.
Even if there are those who cannot completely identify with this man, you too have something that you can look to as a means to give you encouragement today.
The mere fact that you are still living says that God’s grace and mercy has been extended to you. If you are here and not in the hospital or a nursing home says that some how through no means of our own that we have something to be thankful for. Even if we have loved ones in the hospital or nursing home, if they are still living, that’s something to be
thankful for.
Lastly, if we have lost a loved one from this life and feel sad today, try to reflect on
the fact that you at least had a chance to know that person and remember that as long as you live, the person never really dies.
I can identify with Paul and I am sure there are others who can as well. It is my hope that those of you who cannot at this time identify with this man named Paul reach out to the savior of the world and accept him as your personal savior and you too will have a story to tell.
