1 Timothy, Lesson 9
Date: 8 November, 2021
Text: 1 Timothy 2:
Introduction:
We finished chapter one looking at the need to be a Christian Soldier and fight for the faith.
Paul is going to change topics now to prayer - but he connects the two ideas.
v.1 "I exhort therefore,... (In light of what I have just said.... do this.) ...that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;"
Prayer is very much connected with Christian warfare - in the Armour of God in Ephesians
- the connecting idea there is ALSO prayer.
Ephesians 6:13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit....
exp. Much of our fighting for the faith, will take place on our knees as we pray.
We need to fight in prayer.
(Our generation needs men and woman who know how to do battle on their knees.)
I. Fight in prayer for all men.
1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
ill. Growing up - my mom would give us instruction and at times exhortation.
- Instruction was something like "You should go outside and play."
- Exhortation was something like "Make sure you let your sister play with you."
note: Exhortation is necessary to intreat us to do something which may be contrary to human nature. (ie. Boys allowing their sister to play the game.)
app. Paul was doing more than just encouraging this practice of "praying for all men" - he was intreating them to do this. (It would be natural to exclude some from their prayers whether purposefully or not.)
A. Supplicate for all men.
exp. Supplication is to call for help from God - to plead humbly.
ill. Daniel 9:
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:
6 Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.
8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.
exp. He's rightly admitting his position as he intreats God's favour - that is supplication.
B. Pray for all men.
exp. Prayer is the big brush - it is broader than supplication. It includes supplication but also includes praise, thanksgiving, worship, etc.
C. Intercede for all men.
exp. An intercessor is one who stands between God and man.
ill. Jesus as our great high priests does this (going between God and us pleading his blood.)
exp. The priesthood of the believer allows all believers to enter into God's holy place and plead as an intercessor for God's mercy upon mankind.
Eze 22:30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
D. Give thanks for all men.
exp. This command of Paul reminds us why this is exhortation and not instruction?
question: Can you give God thanks for all men and pray for them?
ill. Fiddler on the roof - rabbi can you give us a blessing for the Czar, "The Lord bless the Czar and keep him.... far away from us!"
app. We are to give thanks in everything and we are to give thanks to God for all men.
transition: Fight in prayer for all men.
II. Fight in prayer for all rulers.
exp. Some of the battle against DOCTRINE and PRACTICE will come through legislators.
ill. Student from China - Apple agreed to take Bible Apps out of it's store because the Communist government does not want it's people to have access to the Bible.
A. Who? - The Queen, (The PM/ FM) MPs, MSPs, councilours....
2 For kings, and for all that are in authority;
exp. We have two parliaments for which we need to pray.
Westminster - they make most of the decisions
Edinburgh - devolved parliament - Covid 19 has shown us how much power they possess.
app. It is good for us to have an ear to the ground to pray specifically about legislative decisions.
B. Why? - That we may be blessed accordingly.
1. With protection.
...that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life...
ill. The communist government of China is bull dozing churches and Christian schools.
app. We are relatively free and have some protection under the laws of the land. We aren't afraid tonight that a hostile government is going to interupt our meeting. Praise God - and pray...
2. Without prosecution.
... in all godliness and honesty.
exp. Godliness - is obedience to God - honesty is not handling God's Word deceitfully.
ill. I had great divine appointments on Monday in Edinburgh. 2 of them brought up homosexuality and I am able to openly declare the Bibles views.
app. God's people ought to stand no matter what - but we DESIRE both aspects of this verse.
- A protected church
- And an unprosecuted church. - And so we should pray for our legislators and leaders.
III. Fight in prayer for all men to be saved.
exp. Monarchs, paliamentarians, business men, teachers, etc. - NEED TO BE SAVED.
A. GOD, OUR SAVIOUR wants us to intercede for others.
3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
exp. If you are praying for your fellow man - it pleases JESUS (GOD OUR SAVIOUR)
ill. We just had 50 heads of State staying in Edinburgh - their staff no doubt helped prepare them for each meeting with other heads of State.
- This is what the Prime Minister/ President - likes - this is what they don't like.
exp. You are wise to do that which is GOOD and ACCEPTIBLE IN THEIR SIGHT.
app. If you are ambitious of pleasing God, pray for your fellow men.
B. God wants to deliver mankind.
exp. Some people have a wicked view of God believing that He delights in Hell.
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
Eze 33:11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?
note: Evangelism isn't the only way we put forward the work of salvation in the hearts of men. We had opportunity to PRAY for them as well.
1. He wants them to believe and be saved.
4 Who will have all men to be saved,
question: Can you reconcile this verse with a theology that says some people can not be saved?
John 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
app. The WILL of God is that nobody go to hell. "He is not WILLING that any should perish, but that ALL should come to repentance." We ought to pray for His will to be done in the lives of those around us.
2. He wants them to repent and be saved.
4 ...and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
exp. For knowledge to be received it must be believed.
THIS ASSUMES A GREAT CHANGE OF MIND.
Ill. I enjoyed speaking with a young lady who asked about specific sins which she believes is ok, but which God condemns.
drug addict, liar, thief - for him to get saved - reject his SIN which is destroying him.
"God you are right, I am wrong, please forgive me." If he maintains that he is right, he puts God off.
app. If you aren't saved - God wants you to BELIEVE and REPENT and be SAVED. Believers, we need to pray for them to be saved.
IV. Fight in prayer because all men need THE FAITH.
exp. All men need to get saved - because....
1) Sin has separated all men from God.
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God."
2) The punishment for sin is hell.
Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
ill. Benson got his first pay check at the end of this past month - he expected it, he deserved it, he got it - it is his wages.
app. What mankind deserves and what we will get for our sin - (if we don't get saved) is Hell.
A. The faith is exclusive.
1. There is One God.
5 For there is one God,
exp. If you reject the God of the Bible, you reject the only God.
ill. Demonstrators - in Glasgow - there is no Planet B. (I was glad to hear them say that....)
app. If you turn your back on the God of the Bible, you turn your back on God.
2. There is one way to God.
5 ...and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
ill. I was speaking with someone who was facing a lawsuit - the man who was suing - struck his solicitor - no other solicitor would take up his suit. (He lost his mediation.)
exp. If you reject Jesus, you reject the only way of salvation. There is no one else accepted by God to plead on your behalf.
Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
app. Can men reject Jesus? Yes - but it is to their eternal destruction.
B. The faith is expensive (priceless.)
6 Who gave himself a ransom for all,...
exp. Ransom money - is paid when their is a captive - it is paid to set them free.
ill. In Haiti - 17 Americans - missionary group from Ohio were abducted - their abductors are demanding a million dolllars for each one of them.
(That is ransom money - money paid to set a captive free.)
app. JESUS gave himself a ransom for all. The faith God offers you freely is priceless.
C. The faith is extensive. (all around the world)
6 ...to be testified in due time. 7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.
exp. We are to pray for the faith - which is going around the world - carried by God's people - who preach THE FAITH and THE TRUTH, like the Apostle Paul.
app. Those who hear the Gospel, need to value the privilige God has given them to understand the faith - one God - one way to God through Jesus - a message sent to them by God.
transition: Fight in prayer, because all men need the faith.
V. Fight in prayer wherever you are.
8 I will therefore that men pray every where,
exp. Prayer meets should not be the least attended service of a church. If Paul wants men to pray everwhere for all men - THEN WE CAN ASSUME - he wants ALL MEN to pray everywhere.
App. If you are going to pray in power about this - there are three necessary ingredients.
A. With righteousness.
...lifting up holy hands,
Jas 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
B. With love.
...without wrath
exp. In the age of grace, we don't need to be praying imprecatory prayers. Paul would not have to exhort us to prayer for all men if he meant imprecatory prayers.
ill. Jesus taught us to love our enemies.
C. With faith.
...without wrath and doubting.
exp. If we don't ask in faith - we will not receive.
ill. Logan shared James on Sunday PM
James 1: 6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
exp. If you are right with God - loving other and praying in faith - you are on praying ground.
ill. Young Deacon - Isle of Lewis barn prayer meeting, "It seems so much humbug to me to be praying as we are praying if we ourselves are not right with God - God are my hands clean, is my heart pure?"
app. If we aren't seeing many answer to our prayers for men - perhaps we ought to take the same test?
- Are my hands clean?
- Do I really love those for whom I'm praying?
- Do I really believe that God can saved them?
conclusion:
We need soldiers who will fight in prayer? Are you willing to be a prayer warrior?
We need to pray for all men - for rulers - for legislators
THEY NEED TO GET SAVED
THEY MUST COME TO GOD THROUGH JESUS.
WE NEED TO PRAY FOR THEIR SALVATION.
