Bible Reading & Pastoral Prayer

Bible Reading

Commentary

Our scripture reading today will begin in 1 Timothy 3:14, which if you’re using a pew bible is on page 992. The epistle of 1 Timothy is the first letter that Paul wrote to an individual instead of a church. This is not to suggest however that the message of the letter is intended to be applied to one person. This letter is for the church, to clarify her identity and how she is to function. Timothy was one of Paul’s closest and most trusted disciples and he had become the pastor of the church in Ephesus. Timothy was young, at least compared to the other leaders in the church, and there were some issues that he faced for which Paul wanted to offer him encouragement.

Much of chapter 3 addressed leadership standards, specifically elders and deacons. When we get to verse 14, Paul focuses specifically on Timothy and exhorts him to be aware of some of the challenges that the church will face. Some of what we see in chapter 4 are a series of affirmations and admonitions aimed directly at Timothy, so much of what we will read together today is very personal for Timothy and very pastoral for Paul.

Now, today is not only the concluding day of our annual Theology conference, but is also Reformation Sunday. This year’s conference is focusing on the ministry of the church, and the gift that the community of the church is from God to His people. The Reformation in many ways helped to clarify right biblical doctrine, but the church’s role in both supporting and safe-guarding this doctrine, which is something that our brother Nate P. helped us to see yesterday. So I encourage us, as we go to our text this morning, with sobriety, to rejoice in the identity God has given His people, that is, to the church to be on the front lines to treasure His priceless gospel.

1 Timothy 3:14–4:10 ESV

I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory. Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer. If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

Pastoral Prayer

Exodus 15:11 ESV

“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?

There is none who compares...

Unequalled in glory and majesty

You have displayed your glory

In Your creation

Through your sovereign rule

Psalm 2:4 (ESV)

You sit in the heavens laugh when any person of power presumes to be in ultimate control;

you hold them in derision. Your rule, Father is not threatened by any earthly power. Your reign is certain and unopposed.

By showing mercy to both the rebellious and discouraged

by granting people an understanding of their need for redemption

And most clearly through Jesus Christ, the one true living God who came to complete the work of the redemption of your people and who we eagerly wait for to come again.

Isaiah 40:25 (ESV)

We have no one with whom to compare you

There is no one like you.

You are the Holy One.

And in light of your holiness Father

We approach you with an urgent confidence.

2 Peter 1:3–4 (ESV)

Your divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, and we recognize that what we need for life and godliness comes through the knowledge of you who called us to your own glory and excellence. And you have granted to us your precious and very great promises, so that through them we may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

It is on this basis

your divine power

your providence

your precious and very great promises

That we approach you with confidence and urgency

You rescued your people from their corruption, from the prison of their sin

So our confidence is not presumptuous, it is not assuming

Hebrews 4:16 (ESV)

We do approach you with confidence because we know we are drawing draw near to the throne of grace, where we will receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

But our urgency is fueled by the fact that it is right for us to

phil 4:5-7

Philippians 4:5–7 (ESV)

… dispel with our anxiety, by bringing our concerns to you in prayer and supplication with thanksgiving. And we know then that the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Lamentations 3 (ESV)

We are a people who has seen affliction so we ask, merciful Father,

Remember our affliction even when our affliction is the result of our own wandering,

And we call to mind today,

and we therefore have hope:

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;

his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

great is your faithfulness.

Father, you have provided for your people in this church in many ways.

You have provided elders. Faithful men who aspire to this office. Who have committed to being this body’s shepherds and leaders. And so I pray for

Pastor Steve

Pastor Josh

Richard Prensner

Bryan Bowers

Don Mauer

Tim Swartz

And myself

We are your undershepherds an you are our Chief Shepherd. We ask you Lord, to protect our elders from temptation. Grant us a growing love and passion for your truth. Give them compassion for your sheep and a vigilance to be on guard against doctrines that may appear to be from You but are in fact from the world.

We also thank you for our faithful Deacons who serve this body with care and compassion. For

Lance Sunday

Uly Bell

Matt Grimm

John Bullyour

We thank you for these men Father. Continue to develop in them a compassion for people and a servant’s heart that reflect the heart of our Savior.

“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,

“therefore I will hope in him.”

The Lord is good to those who wait for him,

to the soul who seeks him.

These are nourishing words to our souls and are especially important for us to remember when we walk through difficulty and trials.

We pray for our brother Drew Pinkney for guidance to a new job. We ask you Father that you would provide for him, Rhea and their family

Snyder family as they mourn the loss of Clyde. Thank you for the legacy he left in his family and others, but we continue to pray for their comfort

We pray for Linda Gipe, who we learned this morning from her son Timothy is back in rehab and was diagnosed with COVID. We pray that you would comfort Linda in the midst of what we are sure are frustrating times, but also bring healing as she contends with COVID.

We continue to pray for Jacob, the nephew of Sue Baron, who continues to receive chemo treatments. IN the midst of contending with cancer, he is also attending school virtually and does physical therapy once a week. Father, please sustain him, especially when he is fatigued as a result of his treatments. May he know the encouragement and comfort of our Savior.

We pray for our brother Bill Danielwicz as he approaches surgery to remove suspicious growths. We pray that these growths are not serious concerns, but we commit Bill to your care as we wait to hear of the results.

We pray for Archie Passmore, father to Anita Briner. Archie has been in the hospital but went home this past Tuesday and is now receiving in-home hospice care. We are grateful to learn from Anita that he is trusting in Christ for his salvation, but we pray for his wife, Penny as she cares for him now. We pray for peace to fall upon this family as they spend this time with Archie, and we pray that he would experience a peaceful home-going through which you would be glorified.

As we consider the world and the trajectory of the culture, we are saddened and are desperate for your intervention. We want to remain clear in our minds and hearts that the gospel is the answer to this world’s woes. This concern is particularly on our minds as we approach an election in just over a week. Thank you God that we live in a country that has free elections, but we recognize that those who are elected to office are not always concerned with honoring you in their role as a leader in our government. We pray God, that you would give us a renewed commitment to pray for our leaders, a clear conviction for the truth of your word and an unapologetic concern to proclaim Christ and His righteousness to a world who rejects Him and their need for Him. In your grace Father, cause an overwhelming conviction over sin to fall upon us that would move us to to repentance and a stronger zeal for holiness.

We pray for opportunities to connect with our community in a meaningful way as we greet them as they come to vote here next Tuesday. Ready us with the gospel as we engage our neighbors in conversation, and we pray your Spirit will work those who hear the good news.

Father, tomorrow marks the 505th anniversary of the day an unknown monk would nail his criticisms of the church at the time, his 95 theses to the doors of the castle church in Witenburg, Germany. The Reformation turned the world upside down, but what we recognize is that your word is the barometer of truth by which we understand what about us and our church needs to be reformed. Always reforming is right, but help us to see in the midst of our concern to possess right doctrine, that Jesus and Jesus alone is our sufficiency and righteousness.

Thank you that we can expect to hear the word of God proclaimed in this service. We know that you use your word in your people’s lives to bring about their salvation and sanctification. In light of this truth, we pray that

Romans 1:16–17 (ESV)

We will not be ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

We pray for Pastor Nate as he heralds your word this morning. Grant that your word would be carried to our our hearts and minds by the Spirit, would transform your people and would result in your glory being more evident and clear in and through your people. Praise be to you alone Father. In Christ name we pray. Amen.