Prayer
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
Kids
Recap
Paul’s letter to Timothy, a church leader. Mid first century.
Instructions on how to Run Church
So far we’ve covered the foundational message that the church is based on - Jesus came into the world to save sinners, even the worst of sinners.
Paul has also warned Timothy that it is his job to defend good teaching in the church, the true message of the Gospel needs to be front & center and church leaders need to have the guts to defend it.
Now in our passage for today we’re turning to start looking at the nature of church life. How should we live together? How should we worship together?
Paul’s first port of call for specific instructions about church order start with prayer. This chapter has several controversial verses in it, so we’re taking it in two at least two parts to leave good space for us to deal with the issues.
As we make our way through the passage today, I hope you will grow a deeper appreciation for prayer. I believe Paul starts here for a reason, this is an essential element of church life.
All Types of Prayer for all Types of People
All Types of Prayer for all Types of People
Paul starts by saying we need all types of prayer for all types of people.
How do you think of prayer? Is prayer to you just one thing in you mind?
Perhaps you think of prayer as the thing you with head closed and hands clasped when you ask God for things. That is prayer, but prayer is also much deeper than that. It is much more expansive.
And v1 tries to get us thinking more expansively of prayer, lets read:
First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,
So first of “all” Paul calls for a whole bunch of different things. Notice that word All, because it ‘s coming up again soon!
Based on this list, you might be tempted to think there are several different “classes” of prayer but these overlap a lot. It appears that Paul is trying to cast a wide net over all types of prayer and urge the church to do it! Don’t get hung up on the individual words in the list, just do all the prayers all the time!
Some of this is stuff that we can do to humans, I can say thank you to another person, or make requests on behalf of someone. But when directed to God, this becomes prayer.
This looks like entreating God, figuratively coming into his throne room and making petitions, asking for the LORD to use his power and authority to provide what we need.
This means interceding on behalf of others. Imagine you had friend on their sick-bed who really needed medicine but they were broke. If you went to the pharmacist and begged them to give the medicine despite the fact that they can’t pay for it, that would be interceding.
Thanksgiving - Paul elsewhere says
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
If ever you wonder what God’s will is for you life, remember this is part of it!
Our lives would be characterized by continual thankful, rejoicing prayer!
Give thanks in all circumstances. Even if the worst were to happen, and you were imprisoned and tortured, be like Paul & Silas who were praying and signing hymns in their jail cell.
What should you give thanks for?
What God has done for others
What God has done for you
Past provision
future provision
Salvation in Christ
God’s revelation
God’s character expressed to us.
If you struggle to be thankful, you could start writing down something everyday in a journal. In your family you could make it part of your evening meal for each person to find something to thank God for.
All types of prayer for all types of people.
Who are these prayers being made for? All types of people. He’s not here suggesting that you must make these types of prayers for every single person on the planet! We can and probably should pray for all humanity, but our prayers are limited by our creaturely limitations. I can only pray specifically for a limited number of people. But those prayer should not be limited to only one type of people.
All types of people
People who are like us and people very much different to us.
People who are wealthy and people who are poor
People who are our enemies and people who are our friends
People who are obeying the Lord, and those rebelling against him.
Paul goes on in our next verse to point out some specific examples
for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.
Pray for people in positions of authority to what end? The peace and freedom to pursue a godly life.
There are some pre-conditions in society that are needed to make this a reality.
Relative Peace in the land
freedom of religion
Personal freedoms to work, to own property (not just land other stuff), marry, have children, freedom to assemble, and others.
Systems of justice.
Many of these things have been ours as fruit of our Christian forebears who worked hard in England and the US and here in Aus to set up systems of government and set precedents that enable the pursuit of peaceful, quiet and godly lives.
Yet, all these things have been eroded as time marches on. I’m not exaggerating, there have been laws passed around Australia about what you can pray. And we can look back to a time a few years ago where our government was doing all kinds of stuff that directly affected our ability to pursue peaceful, quiet and godly lives.
They have done it in recent history, all kinds of government all around the world have done awful things to their people throughout the centuries, so we have every expectation that people will try to do awful things to us in the future. People are flawed, and flawed people are in power. We can have a realistic expectation that governments will do bad stuff.
But governments are a good thing. They are their for our Good. They are there because God wants good civil government. And they in many times have done what is good for their people.
So how do we get a government that allows us to live peaceful, quiet and godly lives.
Subversion? No.
Rebellion? No.
Political action? Yeah, you can if you want.
Vote responsibly? Yes.
First of all PRAY! You can pursue a better situation for government in our land, and other countries, but First of all PRAY!
Pray for leaders, elected and appointed. All people in high positions.
How can we pray more?
Build times of prayer into your life
Corporate times of prayer (like church)
Set times of personal prayer Daniel used to pray 3 times a day on his knees
Jesus used to go on regular prayer retreats in the wilderness
The church gathered together to especially pray in times of need
Incidental prayer
Pray in groups, pray in your families, pray in your marriages. It will be awkward at first, but push through the awkwardness for the benefits on the other side.
Re-orient you thinking of prayer
Our whole church service is prayer
Sing your prayers
Pray pre-written prayers
Pray prayers off the cuff.
We pray because prayer achieves something. Best of all, prayer leads to the salvation of all types of people!
God Desires to Save All Types of People
God Desires to Save All Types of People
Remember God is pleased with our prayers, he is not an aloof king who is disinterested in the affaris of the peasants. No! He is a loving father who desire to give good gifts to his people! And to save his people from a terrible fate!
This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
Prayer is good, like we needed convincing of that! Prayer is pleasing to God!
This is our first controversial verse for this chapter. It seems to say that God wants to save absolutely every person, but there are other parts of the bible that make it very clear that many people will be condemned by God. So is God working against himself? Is he desiring to save people that he casts into the eternal fire? Or perhaps God’s power is limited and he desire to save people who can’t be saved?
How should I read this verse?
On it’s own it seems pretty clear, but as with the rest of the bible, it must be read in the context of the letter, the literature and the rest of the Bible.
Lets look at the options and see what it actually means:
The “All” means all people everywhere and they will definitely be saved. God desires that everyone will be saved, God’s will can’t be thwarted so therefore all people will be saved one way or another.
The “All” means all people everywhere and they may be saved: if their will aligns with God’s will. God desires that everyone will be saved, but God’s will can be thwarted so therefore he desires the salvation of people who will not be saved.
The “All” means all peoples, or all types of people. God desires to save people from every tribe tongue and nation, and his will can’t be thwarted. So God’s will is to save all types of people, and he will save all types of people from everywhere.
Options:
1. All People desired, all people saved
2. All People desired, some people saved
3. All types of people desired, all types of people saved
So which is the best option?
Options:
1. All People desired, all people saved
2. All People desired, some people saved
3. All types of people desired, all types of people saved
God has said many will preish and be condemned, so it can’t work.
God is sovereign, so no-one can resist his power. In the end God’s will is carried out.
3 is the only option that fits with the rest of the Bible!
The Gospel open to the nations, no more Jew or gentile in Christ
The certainty of God’s deliberate judgment and condemnation of the wicked
The certainty of God’s plan to save his people for himself
Jesus specifically says:
And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ”
Jesus specifically hides the message from some people so that they won’t turn and be forgiven. If he desired every person to be saved, why would he hide the message from them?
God’s word specifically tells us about people whom God willfully rejects:
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.
But you should not think that this means there is a tiny group of save people, there is a great multitude than noone can number!
And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”
We go to make discipes of all the world!
Of all the nations!
Jew & Gentile, male & female, rish poor, slave free!
As we read in the previous passage, no-one is too much of a sinner and beyond god's grace!
The only one worth praying for is 3.! Because if people can thwart God’s desire, then there’s no point praying for them!
This is in contrast to false teachers (probably). This defends us from an exclusivity mindset.
The “ransom for all” is not for all people everywhere but for all types of people. No group is cut-off.
To come to a knowledge of the truth. What is that truth? Next verse...
God’s One Mediator
God’s One Mediator
Juxtaposed against the “alls” of the last few verses
For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.
One God, as opposed to the pagan pantheon
One mediator for all
That mediator is God & man
Christ Jesus - Messiah from Nazereth
Ransom for all peoples! (some are not ransomed, so it can mean literally everyone everywhere)
Ransom, payment paid to free you from your captors!
At God’s chosen time in history.
For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
Paul was appointed to this service.
So What?
So What?
Pray!