Introduction.

1. A young girl was wonderfully saved by the grace and the power of God, under the outreach work of the Salvation Army. Her joy in the Saviour was exuberant. She was never shy, or afraid to tell others about the salvation Christ had given her. She spoke to everyone she met about her faith. She did this in spite the fact that she was illiterate and rather ignorant. She also challenged everyone she spoke to concerning their spiritual standing before the Lord.  One day on the train she shared her joy in the Lord with an elderly gentleman and challenged him asking, ‘Sir, are you sure you will be with the Lord in Heaven?'  The man answered rather indignantly: "Young lady, I am a highly respected Anglican Clergyman." Her quick reply was: ‘Sir that should not cause you to hesitate as the blood of the Lord Jesus can make foulest clean.'
   
   
2. We may laugh at this story, but it ought to also come as a reminder to us that we should not only be sharing the truth about our salvation, but also enjoy belonging to the Lord's people. The work done for us by Jesus on the cross at Calvary to deal with our sin, and the work done by the Holy Spirit in creating spiritual life, repentance and faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest transforming work that can be done in an individual.. The wonder and greatness of your salvation should always fill you with a true and unfading sense of joy, praise, gratitude and thanksgiving.
   
   
3. The Apostle Paul has reminded himself of the Salvation he received in Christ in writing to Timothy, the very thought of being saved causes him to break out in praise in the form of the doxology in verse 17, ‘Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honour and glory forever and ever. Amen.'  When Paul draws this letter to a close he urges believers to fight the good fight and to be faithful to the Lord as they wait for his coming. Simply thinking of Jesus and his coming fills Paul with delight and causes him to break out once more in praise of the Almighty. Listen to his praise at the close of this letter in 1 Timothy 6:15-16, he says concerning the Lord, ‘He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light,  whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honour and everlasting power. Amen.'  Praising God was never very far from the Apostle Paul's heart and mind. The mention of the person and work of Jesus caused great joy to well up in his heart. This joy was spontaneous, and came straight from his inner-most-being. It was not a learned mechanical response. The Muslims as you know will never mention the name of Mohammad without praising his name; they do it automatically without thought or meaning. For Paul it was not like that all, it was not a habit, but the response of his heart which was genuinely filled with deep gratitude and appreciation at being so blessed in knowing the Lord Jesus Christ and his salvation. We should pray that the Lord would enable us by the power of his Spirit to follow Paul's example. Thinking about Jesus and his grace towards us ought to fill our hearts with gratitude and thanksgiving.  
   
   
4. We ought to use the doxologies of Scripture more often. Our word doxology comes from two Greek words. The first Greek word is logia: which means to talk about or discuss, or to declare. This ending is given to many words Theology, Geology, Hymnology etc. The second Greek word used is doxa, which means glory. A doxology is therefore a declaration of the glory of God, magnifying his holy Name, celebrating his excellence, adoring and admiring the greatness of the only true and living God. A doxology comes closest to the heart meaning of worship. To worship God is to proclaim his glory and majesty with great joy from the heart. All those born from above ought to spontaneously praise and glorify God when they think of his grace, love and mercy towards them.

1. Understanding the concepts embraced in the doxology used by Paul.

1. The doxologies Paul used were not set formulas of the early church. Each doxology comes from the heart and mind of Paul as he was inspired by the Holy Spirit. There was true joy and wonder in Paul's inner-being as he wrote down the words of the doxology. Note where Paul begins this doxology in 1 Timothy 1:17, ‘Now to the King Eternal.' Of all the qualities and attributes of God why does the Apostles mind move directly from his salvation to the King Eternal? I would suggest to you that the bridge is a very simple one. In verse 16 he was speaking about believers in Christ receiving eternal life. To Paul the term eternal life was synonymous with being with the Lord. The moment he thought of eternal life, he also thought about being with the eternal king. He moves from eternal life to the Eternal King. Some think of eternal life simply as life that does not end, life that continues for all eternity. It is true that believers and non-believers will live for ever; believers will be forever with the Lord in glory: sadly unbelievers will live forever in hell. Life that never ends is not something that we can imagine or conceptualise, and certainly not get excited about.
    
2. Others have looked at eternal life not so much from the point of view of quantity of life, but from the concept of quality of life. We find it very difficult to imagine a life that is devoid of the legacy of sin. Can you imagine a life which is totally free of pain, death, misery, illness, deformity or corruption? Can you imagine life that only knows love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, holiness, and truth? Thinking of eternal life as life totally free from all sin and its influence conveys a truth, but in a sense keeps our thoughts about life in heaven as speculative. I am not sure that we have the mental capacity and spiritual wisdom to really comprehend life without sin. Can we who are afflicted with sin, living in a sinful world really think about life in sinless perfection? I don't think we can really do so. While we can understand how the quality of such a life would be wonderful and amazing, our thinking will always lack clarity and real substance. When Paul links eternal life with the eternal King, he thinks primarily of his relationship with the Lord. Paul rejoices when he thinks of the one whom he loves, and who he knows loves him with an everlasting and glorious love. Eternal life is to be with the Eternal King. Paul's thoughts are focussed by his great love for Lord and the Lord's everlasting love for himself.
   
   
3. It is very important to grasp that the foundation in this doxology is the love of God. To contemplate God without a living sense of his love from which all grace flows would either be a terrifying and fearful activity or total disinterest. The reason we know and love God is because he first loved us and sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sins, to reconcile us to himself. Without this foundation of God's love and grace we would fear God, not with the sense of reverence but a fear that terrifies. To be confronted by God and not know God's grace in Christ would be terrifying as you would know that you stand condemned before God. In Christ we know the greatness of God's love for us. Paul saw himself as the worst or chief of sinners, one who fully deserved to be condemned, it was only because the Work of Christ was applied to his life by the Holy Spirit that he could anticipate living in the eternal presence of God. Were it not for God's great grace it would be impossible for sinners to contemplate in their hearts the joy of being eternally in the presence of the King Eternal. Perhaps Elizabeth Clephane captures the thoughts of Paul in her Hymn: ‘Beneath of Cross of Jesus.' Listen to the words of the second verse:
   
   Upon the cross of Jesus mine eye at times can see,
   the very dying form of One who suffered there for me:
   And from my stricken heart with tears two wonders I confess:
   The wonder of redeeming love and my own unworthiness.
   
   Here is the wonder that filled the Apostle Paul with absolute amazement; God's great redeeming love and his utter unworthiness.
   
   
4. Paul however fully grasped that for him to be saved and to be made perfectly acceptable to God was a wonderful and amazing thing.  That the church forgave Paul and accepted him as a brother in the Lord after he had persecuted the church and had a major part in the death of Stephen was an amazing witness to the world of Christ's love in action. The thought of the church embracing Paul was amazing, but it was nevertheless a group of sinnerssinner saved by grace. There can be no doubt that Paul was grateful for the love of the church, but acceptance by the church was a small thing in comparison to his acceptance by the only true and living God who is perfect in holiness. Paul never lost the sense of utter wonder at being accepted by the King eternal. The believer is not simply accepted, but embraced by the heart of God. Every believer is not only a citizen of heaven, but a member of the Royal House by adoption. The greatness of God's acceptance needs to be seen in the fact that believers are made co-heirs with Christ Jesus. Every believer is a prince of heaven by God's eternal decree. Rejoice in the fact that as a believer you are a prince of heaven, you belong to the Royal House. The very thought of a sinner, who deserved condemnation made a prince by the King of kings ought to fill us with amazement and inexpressible gratitude. saved by grace accepting another
   
   
5. It is very difficult to put into words the depth of gratitude Paul felt towards Jesus. Luke 8: 43-48 records the healing of a woman who had a flow of blood that no one could heal. Luke, who was a doctor, describes her situation in verse 43 saying, ‘... a woman, having a  flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any.'  Can you imagine her gratitude towards Jesus for healing her? I think that we can imagine her living with a deep sense that she was greatly indebted to Jesus. I can imagine her telling the story of her healing over and over again, and every time she told it she would express her thanks and gratitude towards Jesus. Compared to being saved from eternal condemnation the healing of this woman is a small and insignificant thing. Those saved by grace ought to have a true sense of gratitude towards Jesus that recognizes that they owe him everything, even their lives. The lack of gratitude in our hearts should shock us and cause us deep sorrow. Knowing that God has set his grace upon you, knowing that Jesus has done everything needed to reconcile you to God, that Jesus has dealt with your sin perfectly and effectively, and you enjoy "fellowship with God"  as the result of all that Jesus accomplished ought to overwhelm you with gratitude. The joy of salvation is not a sense of relief in knowing that you are not going to hell, but the joy of knowing and enjoying the King eternal. It was the unspeakable joy of knowing Christ and the indescribable gratitude towards the Saviour that prompted the doxology in Paul's heart. There are times when I feel great shame at the coldness of my own heart towards the grace, mercy and love of the Saviour. We all need to pray that God would fill our hearts with true gratitude towards Jesus.

 2. Appreciating the magnitude of the doxology.

1. The word King is to be associated with all power and authority, he who holds the issues of life and death in his hands. In our day the idea of a King having and exercising absolute authority is gone. Most monarchs today are figure heads who exercise influence but really do not exercise any great power. Queen Elizabeth does not rule Britain, the power to rule lies in the parliament. The concept of kingship in the mind of Paul was that of a Sovereign Monarch who was responsible only to himself for his actions and decisions. Think of King Herod who was not a sovereign king, but a puppet-king of the Roman Government, yet he had authority to order that all male infants under the age of two born in and around Bethlehem at the time when Jesus was born be put to death. Herod was the law and not answerable to the law. Most kings were ruthless men who abused their power and authority. Paul does not want people to imagine God as a tyrannical king therefore he adds a string of descriptive attributes to describe his kingship. God is the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God, to him be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
   
   
2. The Lord is the King of Kings; he holds the final seat of authority and power. I have already covered much of the idea of God being Eternal, but the concept needs to be expressed in a practical way. Because God is the Eternal King he has always ruled over all things for his glory. The saying goes: "Man proposes, but God disposes." Take Paul himself as an example. Prior to his conversion, he tried his best to destroy the church, he did everything he possibly could to end the teaching that Jesus Christ was the promised Messiah. But God established his church; God has broadcasted the fact that Jesus is the only Saviour to every land, nation and tribe in the world. More than this, God took Paul a former enemy and made him perhaps the greatest human promoter of the Gospel. God as the Eternal King has ruled over every age to accomplish his purposes. At no time ever in the past and at no time in the future will any man or nation frustrate the purposes of almighty God.
   
   
3. Paul then declares that God is Immortal. The word immortal literately means not dying, nor subject to death. It is usually used to describe a great person's fame which will not fade over time.  The English word immortal also carried in it's meaning the idea of being indestructible. The idea of being indestructible does partially cover the meaning of the Greek word used by Paul, however the Greek word is much stronger, it not only means indestructible but also invincible. William Hendricksen uses the word ‘imperishable.' The King is imperishable; he is always achieving his purposes. Our King is unlike earthly kings whose arms grow tired, whose minds grow weary, who crumble under the weight of pressure, or suffer from delusions of grandeur, who are subject to change of mood and fancy, and who suffer the ravages of old age, and whose kingdoms rise and fall. Our King will always be victorious as he is indestructible, invincible and imperishable. Our King does not suffer from our weaknesses and frailties. All men and women are perishable; in fact their lives are filled with things that perish on a daily basis. Scripture often contrasts things which are perishable with that which is imperishable. Psalm 103:15-18. The great idea or concept of God being imperishable is that of "permanence." God is unchanging, God is permanent, God is invincible, God is indestructible, God is imperishable and therefore will never be defeated.
   
   
4. Paul adds that God is invisible. To us the truth that God is invisible may seem very elementary. But to pagans and heathens belief in an invisible God was seen as gross foolishness; it was laughable to call people to love, serve, worship, trust and obey a God whom they could not see. We need to remember that in Paul's day images of pagan gods abounded. The link between God being immortal and being invisible would have been profound in Paul's day. Do you remember the TV coverage of the statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled in Bagdad? The people cheered, danced and beat the statue with their shoes to show that he was a fallen leader. When a nation was defeated, the gods of that nation were defeated and their statues were torn down and burned. The gods were only as powerful as the people who created them. Our God, the only true and living God was not created by man, but is the Creator whose existence is not dependant on human-beings in anyway. Through the eyes of faith and by the power of the Spirit we see God in his Royal Word. Our God can never be conquered, mankind will never topple him.
   
   
5. Paul finally adds that the king eternal is the only wise God. We need to note two things.
   
   
1. God is the only God. Every other god is false and a product of human imagination. God has revealed himself as the triune God; one God, yet three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. He alone is God there is no other God.
   
   
2. God alone is wise. He is the source of all wisdom. What men call wisdom is utter foolishness in comparison to God's glorious wisdom. The King Eternal who rules and reigns over us is all wise, everything he does is marked by his glorious wisdom. If we disagree with God, we need to remember he alone is wise. We should submit to his wisdom and lament our own foolishness.

Conclusion

If you are a believer you ought to find great encouragement and comfort in knowing that you trust God who is the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God. Your response must be to honour and glorify him with your heart, mind, soul, strength and body. If you do not trust God you need to know that you stand opposed to the God who is the King, Eternal, Immortal, Invisible, the only wise God. You cannot be victorious over your enemy. God calls you to be reconciled to him through Christ Jesus.