Rally Day Sermon Wreck It Ralph When Bad Guys Turn Good. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Transcription

1 1 Rally Day Sermon Wreck It Ralph When Bad Guys Turn Good. 1 Timothy 1:12-17 The clip we just watched was from one of the opening scenes of last year s movie known as Wreck it Ralph. Ralph is the bad guy in his video game, Fix it Felix, Jr. His job in the game is to destroy an apartment building while the player of the video game plays as Fix it Felix and works to restore the building. The residents cheer and award Felix a medal while throwing Ralph off the roof into the mud below. After playing the bad guy for 30 years in the video game, Ralph feels lonely and neglected. In the movie, Ralph goes off in search of a video game where he can win a medal and prove to everyone that he is, indeed a good guy. Now I don t want to spoil the movie for any of you who haven t seen it, but Ralph goes on a journey that leads him into a candy themed racing game and the unlikely friendship with a glitch character named Vanellope. You ll have to watch the movie for yourself, and I do highly recommend it, to follow Ralph on his journey from bad guy to good guy. One example of a bad guy gone good in the Bible is that of Paul. Most of us know Paul as the writer of the majority of the letters in the New Testament; or as the guy that encouraged the churches and provided spiritual insight and guidance that we still live by today. But first, we need to look back at Paul before his glory days as a Christian pioneer. Before Paul was Paul, he was called Saul. Saul thought he was a good guy. He was a well-known and well-respected Jewish leader. He had been trained and taught and brought up as he should. He followed all of the laws of the Lord passed down for generations from Moses. But Saul had a mission. His mission was to hunt down the new sect of Christianity and destroy them. They saw Christianity as a threat to the Jewish

2 2 way of life and after killing their leader, Jesus, they set out to destroy all of His followers as well. Saul was actually on a finding mission when he encountered the Lord in a spectacular way. We find in the book of Acts the account of Paul s conversion. Acts 9:1 says, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord s disciples. On his way to Damascus to find such as these, the Scriptures tell us that a bright light from heaven flashed and he heard the voice of Jesus asking, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Jesus (who has been killed, resurrected, and ascended by this point) tells Saul to go into the city and await further directions. Saul, blinded by the encounter goes into the city and is met by a man named Ananias who is instructed by the Lord to restore Saul s vision. The Lord tells Ananias that Saul is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. (v.15) Saul was miraculously saved during this second encounter and we are told in the Scripture spent several days learning from the disciples in Damascus. He began preaching in the synagogues that Jesus was the Son of God, and people realized that this was the same man who just days before would persecute anyone who spoke of Jesus. This was just the beginning of Saul, who we then come to know as Paul s, ministry to the people of the time and to us. Later in Paul s ministry he takes on somewhat of an apprentice in Timothy. In the book of 1 Timothy we read a letter of encouragement and instruction. In chapter 1 verses we hear Paul describing himself to Timothy. (v.12) God doesn t look at what is in your past. Paul gives praise to God in verse 12 for giving him strength. We learned from the Lord s discussion with Ananias, that God had a plan for Paul long before anyone else was aware of it. God knew before

3 3 Paul was even born that he was going to be an evangelist, church planter, letter writer, and one of the leaders of the early Christian movement. Even though it was the complete opposite of the plan Paul had for himself, God s plan won out in the end. The Bible is full of accounts of people living in sin, encountering God, and changing their lives. God sent prophets in the Old Testament to tell people of the consequences of their disobedient living. He gave second, third, and fourth chances to some communities. No one that God chose to use in the Bible, except for Jesus, was perfect. Each and every one of them had a past. Moses killed a man and fled his country, but God still chose to use him to deliver a nation out of bondage. David was a good kid and grew up in the eyes of the Lord, but his sin with Bathsheba was forgiven and most remember him as a man after God s own heart. Zaccheus was a tax collector who weaseled people out of their money. But Jesus looked at him and wanted to spend time with him. The thief on the cross deserved the punishment being given to him, while Jesus did not. However, when he cried out for salvation, Jesus told him that he would be with Him in paradise. God didn t stop choosing people for His work when the Bible was finished being written. God still desires for each and every person to know Him today. It doesn t matter how good or how bad the person is, God wants them. From the vilest offender on Death Row to the saintliest humanitarian, and all in between. Christ is for all. (v.13-14) God s plan for your present - Mercy, Grace, Faith, and love. Paul identifies himself in these verses as a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a violent man. He starts off with the worst offense of anyone who believed in God at this time. Blasphemy was punishable by death. He persecuted others, most of the time innocent people who did nothing to deserve their treatment. Paul also recognizes and points out his violent

4 4 tendencies. But Paul says that he was shown mercy. There are many words to describe the character of God, and merciful is definitely one of those things. Paul says in verse 14 that, the grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly Grace is undeserved favor. Paul had done nothing to earn God s favor. In fact, from a human perspective, persecuting and killing followers of Jesus would do the opposite. But fortunately we serve a God who is not only merciful but gracious. And that mercy and grace is for everyone in His creation, not just for the select few. In the book, Experiencing God s Forgiveness, there is a story that goes like this, A mother once approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death. "But I don't ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy." "But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied. "Sir," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for." "Well, then," the emperor said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman's son. Justice demands punishment for our sins, but instead God shows us mercy, even the bad guys. God doesn t look at what is in our past, He changes our present so our future can be lived for Him. (v.15-17) God s plan for our future, living for Him Paul starts of verse 15 by assuring Timothy, and the readers thereafter, that what he is about to say is trustworthy and should be accepted as true. He then says, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. There s the Gospel plain and simple. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. But Paul doesn t stop there. He identifies himself as the worst of all sinners. This isn t a pity party or Paul exaggerating, it s his testimony. I think verse 16 could

5 5 have been the only thing I said in this message and we could have all been saved the time and agony of reaching this point, but Paul lays it out for Timothy here. Verse 16 says, But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. An example of a bad guy turned good guy captured in the pages of the most printed and most read book of all time. Paul says that he was saved to show others the immense the vast, the wide, the seemingly unending- patience of God when He pursues lost people. One definition of patience found in Strong s Concordance is slowness in avenging wrongs. God s immense patience. The Bible tells us in Romans that the punishment for sin is death. And we are all sinners. God s patience His slowness in avenging wrongs is the opportunity people need to grab hold to the salvation offered in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. God gives people time. God s desire is for everyone to believe in Him and receive eternal life. Paul s mission was to exhibit that in his own life. By using his life as a testimony of how God will take anyone, no matter how bad they are, and turn their life into something good. There is a Gaither tune I have known most of my life called Something Beautiful and the chorus goes like this, Something beautiful, Something good; All my confusion He understood; All I had to offer Him was Brokenness and strife, But He made something beautiful Of my life. God made something beautiful out of Paul s life and He can do the same thing for you. When you let His mercy, grace, faith, and love move in your present, your future will be in His hands. [PLAY END OF WRECK-IT RALPH CLIP]

6 6 Many of us have already accepted Christ as our savior, some many years ago. Some may still be thinking about their decision. But everyone knows someone who is in need of a relationship with Christ. When asked why they haven t accepted Christ yet, a large amount of people will confess that they don t believe they can actually be forgiven for all the bad things they have done in their lives. They don t understand the mercy, and the grace, the undeserved favor of the Lord. And they don t understand that immense patience of God that Paul talked about. God took Paul, the worst sinner and forgave him, turned his life around, and used him for good. Ralph in Wreck-it Ralph thought he could earn the favor of the characters in his game by earning a medal and proving himself to be a good guy. But as we saw in the clip, Ralph realized that it really didn t take a medal to prove himself, and that maybe he wasn t such a bad guy after all. This morning I want you to think about your past and what God has brought you through. Think back to when God s mercy and grace poured out on you as it did on Paul so abundantly. If you have accepted Christ already, spend some time praising God for that. Thank Him for the testimony of your life. If you re still waiting to make that commitment, I pray that you don t wait much longer. God wants each one of you here today to know that there is nothing too bad for forgiveness. His mercy and grace cover every offense, every sin, every wrongdoing. And He is willing to replace all of those things with His love and forgiveness and peace. Come this morning and accept these precious gifts. Pray for those that you know who still need to have that relationship with Christ. Be a witness and show them through your changed life, that God can change theirs as well. And may it be as Paul says in Verse 17, Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever Amen.