1 Timothy 2:1-7 | Go After the All

TENSION NEEDING REDEMPTION:

In a world of us vs them, is there a love that unites and transcends?

CENTRAL TRUTH EXPRESSED (MAIN POINT):

The depth of God’s love empowers us to go after the all

GOD'S HEART REVEALED:

God’s love is both deeper than our greatest rebellion, and wider than any line of division we are tempted to create

OUR RIGHT RESPONSE:

Pray after the all. Go after the all.

1 | How have I experienced the tension?

When you were a kid wasn’t it so much fun doing things were exclusive?

Winning a special prize, going to a special movie screening.

y group of friends consistently made new exclusive groups.

We loved coming up with a catchy name for our crew, spending weeks coming up with plans, and then like one afternoon attempting to follow through on our plan before we decided to pick another catchy name and start the cycle over again.

What we really loved was how exciting it felt to be exclusive.

Other neighborhood kids were not allowed in, and that made us feel special.

When I think about Asher and Abi I hope they would see the opportunity that exists in not being exclusive but instead inviting others in, especially the marginalized and socially awkward kids.

But yet I struggle with wanting to be exclusive, that feeling of I have something or am part of something that not everyone is invited in on gives an external validation that becomes quickly unhealthy for my soul.

2 | How have you experienced this tension?

I realize this is definitely not one I am alone in.

Exclusion is the name of the game in our world.

People who think, believe and act like me are acceptable and included. Those who don’t are unacceptable and excluded.

We see this in the world of politics, media, social media, and in our work places.

It is like for us to have an us, there has to be a them.

This ends up becoming a formed identity more around how different we are from them then who we are.

The Amount of examples that could be explored are limitless.

The question becomes, is there a better way then what the boys and girls of Thicket Court (us) in Hughson, CA did by excluding them (the kids from around the corner)?

3 | What do the Scriptures say about this tension?

We continue on in Paul’s letter of 1 Timothy tonight.

So far we have learned how Paul wrote the letter of 1 Timothy out of deep love. Part of that was to charge his beloved disciple to approach false teachers with correction who had been adding to God’s law to arrogantly build themselves up and profit off of their teachings.

Even more than that, these false teachers were building themselves up by creating an exclusive club around them.

They were speculating about genealogies from the Bible, dedicating themselves to myths about biblical figures, and adding onto the law realities like if you get married or if you ate certain foods then you couldn’t be saved.

They were acting as bouncers to the Kingdom of Heaven and Paul was not a fan.

But something Paul was a fan of… God’s mercy and grace.

So where we were last week was about the depth of God’s love.

Paul knew he was no better than these false teachers, he called himself the foremost of sinners. It is like Paul is saying if you were to swim deep down into the ocean you would pass all the other humans on this earth before you made it all the way down to where I was at.

But even there God’s love found me and redeemed me!

Not only is God’s love deep, it is also wide.

While I read this passage, and I would love you to underline in your bibles every time you see the world all, because when we see a word used multiple times it typically means the author is hitting something he doesn’t want us to miss…

Read 1 Timothy 2:1-7

1 Timothy 2:1–7 ESV

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. 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. 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. 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.

Why does Paul use that word all five times in such a short section?

Before he goes further into correction for these false teachers he starts with a call to prayer.

Which might seem odd, like Paul get to the point!

But he is actually doing a masterful job of correction by speaking of what they SHOULD be up to!

Remember these false teachers have been speaking out of arrogant ignorance, adding to God’s law so that by excluding them they could build themselves up….

What is Paul doing?

Read 1 Timothy 2:1

1 Timothy 2:1 ESV

First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

First he says to pray for all people.

False teachers are excluding. Picking and choosing.

Paul’s desire is this church would include even in their prayers.

What difference does it make when you are praying for someone? Especially those who have offended you, betrayed you, hurt you, maybe its particular politician, spouse, neighbor, family member, child, or coworker.

I think Paul should have included a disclaimer here….

If you pray for them, you might start having your heart softened toward them, that you would see them the way God does, that you would begin to not want bad for them but God’s best for them, you might start to grow in empathy and compassion, you might even begin to over forgiveness and release your bondages of bitterness.

So here is Paul saying to pray for all people.

Look at how he calls them to pray… in a holistic all encompassing way!

Supplications: Request to the Father

Intercessions: Talking to the Father on the behalf of someone else

Thanksgivings: Thanking the Father for what he has done, is doing, and will do.

Pray for ALL people in ALL ways.

He even gives a veiled personal example…

Read 1 Timothy 2:2

1 Timothy 2:2 ESV

for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

Could you imagine praying, genuinely praying for all leaders, in your workplace, in our state, in our nation?

Not just praying prayers of gratitude when they are leaders you agree with, nor just prayers of request when they are leaders you disagree with. But to genuinely offer care through prayer?

Did Paul have any clue how hard this would be for us in 2022?

Except he was literally in chains as a political prisoner of an emperor who was so evil that he literally would soon burn down half of his city just so he could do a home makeover.

Paul is not talking from a place of great privilege in this area.

He is saying that when we pray for all people that should even include the people we feel best to leave off of our prayer list.

He even explains that if those prayers might lead to a season of peace it will benefit our ability to live on mission with the Gospel.

Read 1 Timothy 2:3-4

1 Timothy 2:3–4 ESV

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.

Last week Paul used the word good to describe God’s law.

God’s law is good, if its used properly.

Prayer for all people is good, because it reveals God’s heart for all people.

Who do you like to please? I don’t mean in an unhealthy way….

But like if you are at work at WDW and you have a super awesome little guest in front of you, do you delight in pleasing them?

To see their biggest smile and maybe even get a hug of gratitude for making magic?

Maybe its a significant other, friends, parents, or roommates.

I am going to be honest I don’t often think about pleasing God.

When I think of pleasing God my mind still goes to this misconception that to try to please God is more attached to not wanting him to be angry or wrathful toward me.

But here we get the concept of pleasing God exclusively rooted in love.

That he delights when we pray for the people he loves. When we love the people he loves. When we care about the people he desires to saves. We might think that someone or some group has no business being cared for, prayed over, or loved.

God doesn’t see it the same way.

God loves our current president and former president. Our managers at work. Our coworkers and roommates.

That is why Paul says this is good because when we pray for all people we are speaking God’s language of love.

We are becoming active participants in his work of redemption.

Now, what this does not say is that all people will be saved, but what Paul is saying is that God desires that all people would be saved.

You and I do not know who will respond to the Gospel.

So we have the privilege and responsibility to pray for and love every person as if God might save them, because while we don’t know what any persons story might include, we do know that God’s love and desire is for them.

Universalism suggests all truth lead to the same end point. God’s desire is that they would come to the knowledge of the truth of Jesus. Who He is and what he has accomplished to redeem and restore us to Himself.

Read 1 Timothy 2:5-6

1 Timothy 2:5–6 ESV

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.

In our culture that attempts to prize inclusivity, exclusive claims around God feel out of touch. To say that there is only one God and one way to salvation.

And it is, if we hold the position that there should be multiple ways to the divine.

But according to the Bible, there should be NO ways to back to the divine.

Our best doesn’t lead to Heaven, it is running up against a brick wall.

But Jesus came into the world to reveal to us WHO God is and to make a way where there previously was no way.

On the Cross Jesus cancelled the debt of our sinfulness by taking it on Himself.

At the resurrection hecreated a path for us to return to the Kingdom and for the Kingdom to break through onto our planet!

At the ascension, Jesus became the one who goes to the Father on our behalf.

These are very exclusive terms, and makes God more exclusive then these false teachers. Unless we understand that before Jesus there was ZERO options, and God Himself died to give us the One through whom we could be drawn into His embrace.

The depths of His love is only matched by the width of His love.

He gave himself up as a ransom for ALL.

That people from every people group, socio economic background, nation, and backstory could be drawn in near to Himself.

The Gospel may seem exclusive in the sense that only Jesus can save, but it is radically inclusive that people from all walks of life are being drawn near to Himself.

He finishes this connection in the end of verse 6 and into verse 7

Read 1 Timothy 2:6-7

1 Timothy 2:6–7 ESV

who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. 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.

This Gospel that goes after the all is literally Paul’s privilege to carry.

The major conflict point in the early church occurred around this idea that gentiles or non-Jews were allowed to come to Jesus.

Paul who was previously the most exclusive religious leaders who put these false teachers to shame become called to carry the Gospel to those who were not even a part of God’s chosen people, the nation of Israel.

From the earliest pages of genesis when God elected a specific group of people to be his people he selected them not because they were so special but so that the nations would be blessed through them… to the Gospels where Jesus goes out of his way to include individuals like a Samaritan woman living in sinfulness, to Acts where the Gospel of Jesus moves from Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, to Revelation where people from every tribe, tongue, and people group are represented worshipping King Jesus on the throne!

The Bible is a unified story that leads us to Jesus, and it tells of the relentless pursuit Jesus makes to go after the all.

So, Paul sees it as his privilege to go after the all.

4 | How can the Gospel bring resolution to this tension in your life?

Will I? Will you?

We have the opportunity to fight back against the human desire to exclude as we invite others into the family of God!

When you are at work at WDW do you see the opportunity you have to go after the all?

You go after the all, as you pray for coworkers and managers to come to discover God’s love through Jesus.

You go after the all As you pray for family members

You go after the all As you pray for roommates and neighbors

You go after the all As you pray for our political leaders and celebrities

To go after the all is the privilege of those who have discovered God’s love.

But we are chosen to be His so that we can go after others and be active participants in His work of redemption.

If we take the opportunity.

5 | What would the world see if the church embraced this resolution?

We are absolutely supposed to fight for our families, for WDW, for our state, for our nation, and for our world.

But not with the tools the world uses, but by going to our mediator.

The one who is praying for the all, and we join in His mission when we join Him in praying for the all.

So tonight we wanted to take the time to put this into practice in communion by praying for the all together.

Corporate Intercession.