The Priority of Prayer

1 Timothy 2:1-6 (Slides)

English Standard Version (Chapter 2)

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

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

3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,

4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

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

I. FIRST OF ALL, WE SHOULD PRAY.

English Standard Version (Chapter 2 Verse 1)

“First of all..” (Slide)

In Paul’s guidance to his young colleague in Christ, Paul says that prayer should be FIRST OF ALL. Prayer should be a priority in Timothy’s life. Faced with the enormous challenge of defeating false teachers in the church of Ephesus, prayer was essential.

Perhaps Paul was familiar with Jesus making prayer “first of all” in his earthly life. As Mark 1:35 says:

Mark 1:35 (ESV)

35 And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he (Jesus) departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. (slide) of Jesus praying

The tense of the verb “prayed” indicates that praying in the morning was a habit that Jesus had developed.

In all likelihood, Jesus learned this as a part of his upbringing by the Virgin Mary and Joseph. They would have taught him verses like

Psalm 119:164 (Slide) of three people praying

Psalm 119:164 (ESV)

164 “Seven times a day I praise you

for your righteous rules.”

English Standard Version (Psalm 119 verse 62)

62 “At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.”

Was this verse the motivation for Paul and Silas in the Philippian jail? (Acts sixteen, twenty-five)

Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Prayer was the air that the Jewish people breathed.

Someone has said that, “Prayer is the heart of religion.” [George A. Buttrick, “Prayer.” (NY:Abingdon, 1942) 16]

Someone has cautioned, “Other duties become pressing and absorbing and crowd out prayer. ‘Choked to death’ would be the coroner’s verdict in many cases of dead praying if an inquest could be secured on this dire, spiritual calamity.” -E. M. Bounds

Each time I drive across the mountain on Highway 31, I notice the Kudzu growing on the mountain slopes and covering the trees. The invasive vine from Asia has, as one person said, “eaten the South.”

Just as Kudzu chokes out other vegetation, daily activities can become the Kudzu of the soul. Playing video games, watching TV, and listening to music can choke off our prayer time if we allow it to.

Is prayer one of the first things you do in the morning before our other duties have a chance to crowd it out? Perhaps you could say the Lord’s Prayer first of all. First of all, we should pray.

II. For whom should we pray? We should pray for ALL! (vs. 1-2)

English Standard Version (1 Tim. Chapter 2, Verses 1 and 2) (Slide of the verse)

1 “I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people,

2 for kings and all who are in high positions...”

Even in Paul’s time, the world’s population was around 200 million. So Paul is not to be taken literal here when he says that prayer should be made for all people. Perhaps he means all kinds of people.

The next verse seems to confirm that we should pray for all kinds of people.

Paul was counseling Timothy to broaden his prayer to include more than just the church role. Of course, Paul prayed for the churches, but he did not confine his prayers to the church.

Paul instructed Timothy to pray for people in high positions of authority and influence. Notice, Paul did not say that we should pray against people

(Next Slide - Nero)

(Next Slide - President Biden)

(Next Slide - Trump)

(Next Slide - Nancy Pelosi)

(Next Slide - Xi Jinping)

(Next Slide - Vladimir Putin)

(Next Slide) - Ali Khomenei)

(Next Slide - Bill Gates)

(Next Slide - Majorie Taylor Greene)

(Next Slide - Mark Zuckerberg)

(Next Slide -Joint Chiefs of Staff)

(Next Slide - Joy Behar)

(Next Slide - Elon Musk)

(Next Slide - Pope Francis)

Paul mentioned “kings and all who are in high positions.” (vs 2)

When we pray for kings and all who are in high positions, we understand that political figures, business people, and people on television and the internet influence our world by their words and deeds.

Consider the influence of Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets.

Christians should pray for all kinds of people.

Notice also, we should pray for, not to politicians and people in high positions. Our primary allegiance is to the kingdom of God.

What is the motivation for praying for world leaders?

(Next Slide - Pax Romana the peace of Rome)

One of the reasons Christianity spread so quickly was that the Roman system of roads, government, and peace allowed the apostles to move around the Roman Empire.

One of the benefits of world peace is the spread of the Gospel. That’s one of the reasons Christians should pray for world peace.

Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies. (Matthew. Chapter Five, Verses 43 and 44)

43 “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’

44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,...

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

Do you have any enemies on your prayer list, or do you just pray for your relatives, friends, and neighbors?

It’s easy to pray for people who love us, but Jesus teaches us to pray for people who hate us.

III. So, what types of prayers should we pray? We should use ALL types of prayers. (2:1) (Next Slide)

2:1 I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. 2016. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

age 43

The Supplications are requests made to God (cf. Phil. 4:6).

Prayers may be of any kind. As a generic term the word covers petitions, thanksgiving and praise, together with the confession of sin.

Intercessions conveys the idea of a man or a group putting a word into the ear of a superior on behalf of some other person. The Jews spoke to the Roman governor, Festus, against Paul (Acts 25:24), but the church has to approach God and be "for" men and not against them. "Intervention" is sometimes the fitting word. In the mercy of God it may be that the intercessions of the church prolong the patience of God with the sins of mankind (cf. Rom. 2:4; 9:22; 2 Pet. 3:15).

Thanksgivings, prayers of thanks, are both a joy and an obligation (cf. 1 Thess. 1:2 f.; 5:18). Some scholars see in this word (eucharistia) a reference to the Eucharist or Lord's Supper. It was certainly regarded as a thanksgiving, and the reference is possible but not absolutely necessary. Thanksgivings are possible without the actual service of Eucharist.

In Philippians 4:5-7, Paul uses all of the types of prayers in two verses.

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

How balanced is your prayer life? Along with asking God for things, do you thank God? Are your prayers intermingled with praise?

We should use ALL types of prayer at our disposal.

IV. We should pray that ALL the world would be saved. (vs 3- 6)

English Standard Version (1 Timothy Chapter 2, Verse 4)

“[God] … desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

(Next Slide - Hancock Courthouse)

(Next Slide - British Parliament)

(Next Slide - Eiffel Tower)

(Next Slide - Jerusalem

(Next Slide - Taj Mahal)

(Next Slide - Great Wall of China)

(Next Slide - Jerusalem)

Paul is not arguing that all people will be saved. He is saying that God’s will is that all be saved, but we know that humans always don’t follow God’s will. We pray “thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.” We would not have to pray that if God’s will was being done on earth, would we?

Someone has aptly said, “God’s will is not a bulldozer.” God will not force his will on us. God invites, encourages, and pleads with people to be saved, but does not and will not coerce anyone to be saved.

The church’s mission is to be a witness to our world. Our task is to make disciples.

V. We can pray that All the world be saved because He gave Himself a Ransom for All. (Slide - Crosses)

English Standard Version (Chapter 2, Verses 5 -6)

5 For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

6 who gave himself as a ransom for all,..

Someone has said,

Christ did not merely pay a ransom to free us; He became the victim in our place. He died our death, and bore our sin. He gave himself. -John MacArthur

The Good News is that Jesus took our place and died for us. In dying, he also released us from our debt to God.

John Chrysostom said,

By the cross we know the gravity or seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s love toward us.

(Next Slide - Heaven or Hell)

(Next Slide - Hell)

(Next Slide - Heaven)

(Next Slide - Jesus at the Door)

As we sing the next hymn, we invite you accept the Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior.