An All Encompassing Love part 1

Imagine joining a rescue team. Their goal is to save lives. But upon joining the team you find out that they only focus on saving those they personally know, those who could thank them, or those who share their background. The rest they are instructed to leave to die?

I would think this kind of injustice would be shocking… And yet, if our prayer lives were to be evaluated, it might be said that we either we don’t believe God works through prayer or that we only care about those we know and like...

Today we are going to see that the church is called to be "a rescue team of sorts" and not just for a few people of their preference.

And in seeing this, we are going to see God’s expansive love for the whole world and how that ought to impact what and how we do what we do…

Let us pray.

Prayer:

Holy Spirit, fill us afresh this morning. Open our hearts and minds to the wonder of Your love. Transform us to love in a way that reflects Your heart. Lead us to be a people of prayer. Lead us to make much of Jesus, not just on Sundays. Not just in front of others, but in the comforts of our homes when no one else sees. Father be glorified. Jesus be magnified in our hearts and lives. And pour out your saving grace upon all who are here and do not know you… in Jesus name. Amen.

Context:

As I prepare to read verses 1-7, let’s remember a few things about the letter of 1Timothy. We entitled this series in 1Timothy, “Grace, Truth & Godliness: The Church’s Antidote to Error” because the Ephesian churches have gotten off track. And Paul has sent his apostolic delegate, Timothy, to get them back on track with the priorities of the kingdom. The first chapter is Paul jumping right into commanding Timothy to confront false teachers and to make sure he is operating from and teaching love that is characterized by purity of heart, a clear conscience and sincerity of faith. And now chapter 2 picks up with a command that is to be an outworking of the charge in chapter 1 to love in a way that combats falsehood and protects the gospel and God’s people.

With that in mind, look with me at

Text:

1Timothy 2:1-7, “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 at the proper time. 7 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.”

Imagine being asked to publicly pray for a world leader known for policies or actions you vehemently oppose, or for a group of people whose ideology directly conflicts with your values. Our natural inclination might be to pray for their downfall or their conversion to our way of thinking.

Beloved, our hearts are often so very small and limited… We are selective about the people we let into our lives and even less into our hearts… Whereas, we see here, that God’s heart is boundless filled with grace...

Thus the BIG IDEA we are going to be confronted with today is that

“God is calling us to a life of love that cares for the wellbeing of all people, not just the select few that we agree with or like.”

We are going to first consider the command Paul issues in the text… And then after that we are going to explore one of the reasons Paul gives as to why we must pray for ALL people. And next week we will return to consider the other reasons.

So, let’s look at the COMMAND in verses 1-2.

“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.

We see here that God through Paul

God commands us to pray for all people.

So the first order of business, one of the most important expressions of love that issues from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith is to PRAY!

Paul uses four expressions of prayer: supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings

supplication refers to making a request

prayers in the text according to Mounce is the general term for prayer and can even be used to describe a place of prayer (cf. Acts 16:13, 16; Schürer, History 2:439 n. 61). The noun and verb occur 122 times in the NT, 33 times in Paul (including 1 Tim 5:5, where it is paired with δεήσεις, “requests”). It is used in the NT only of prayers to God.

intercession is a more rare word meaning either refer to a conversation or an formal petition given to an official.

thanksgiving obviously refers to giving thanks to God, specifically for the people...

That being said, dissecting each word is not necessarily the point.

One commentator highlights that, “The point is that all prayers, of all types, should be for all people.”

Now, before we go any farther, I think it would be helpful for us to consider a few working definitions of the word Prayer.

R.C. Sproul rightly called prayer one of “the primary means of communion with God.” He also said, “Prayer for the Christian is what breath is to life...”

Westminster Shorter Catechism— Q&A 98 helps us out here, it rightly says, "Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ, with confession of our sins, and thankful acknowledgment of His mercies."

Prayer is NOT merely an emergency hotline.

It is however like, as Piper describes it, “ a walkie-talkie for warfare, not a domestic intercom for increasing our conveniences.”

It is NOT a delusional mantra to endure difficulty.

However, Paul does say in Philippians 4:6-7, “6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Additionally, as one pastor once said,

“Prayer is NOT a stick and God a piñata. All we have to do is hit God up with our demands until He gives us what we want.”

James 4:2b-3 essentially says, “You do not have because you do not ask. And when you ask, you do not receive because you ask only thinking about yourself and your self-absorbed desires.”

I absolutely love what John Starke says in his book the Possibility of Prayer. He is writes,

“Prayer is the regular practice of lowering ourselves to better views of his work. It’s a strange irony that prayer is the strengthening of an inner muscle that does nothing more than boast in weakness. Prayer gives us ears to hear, knowing we do not listen well, and eyes to see, knowing we are blind to much of what we ought to see. But along the way God transforms our anxious reactions into loving responses, and our fearful hearts into hearts that are not afraid of bad news.”

And what a privilege this is! That we get to commune with the Holy God of the universe in prayer. The one who knows all things from beginning to end… The one who gives the best counsel… The one who receives us with joy despite our unworthiness…

It is this God we are commanded to PRAY to. But not just about anything…

The text says, “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.

So Paul says, first on the list of loving people rightly is prayer, especially for kings and those in positions of authority.

What’s interesting, is that on the surface it may seem that Paul is emphasizing prayer in the first seven verses… But he’s not…

Paul is actually more addressing a tendency for the Ephesian church to just care about and pray for a select group of people.

As stated earlier, Timothy was charged in chapter 1 to confront false teachers who were emphasizing myths and jewish genealogies. So likely, the church in Ephesus was struggling with a spirit of elitism toward the pagan world. Looking down on the ungodly leaders and the culture at large… Ironically they were also despising biblical authority as well… Additionally, the letter is littered with instructions on turning away from sinful living.

And though that be the case, the struggle to PRAY for leaders locally and nationally makes sense in light of a several reasons.

We are born sinners. Which means we are born despising authority. Sin is a rejection of God’s authority and a declaration that we are our own authority. So praying for the wellbeing of those in authority especially those who you despise, probably aint happening.

As sinners, we tend to only think of those who we like and care about. We certainly don’t think much about much less pray for the wellbeing of people we don’t know and certainly those we don’t like.

Rome was very corrupt. The emperor at the time of this writing was Nero, who is known for killing his own step brother, mother and two wives, one of which was pregnant at the time. He is also known for inciting the persecution of Christians during his reign by blaming them on a fire that devastated 10 of the 14 districts of Rome. Later, Paul is reported to have been beheaded under the direction of Nero.

And number four, there were teachers who rose up with influence downplaying the role of prayer and love toward outsiders… toward the lost in the world.

The truth of the matter is, what we pray for or don’t reveals what we value and who we trust…

So if God is commanding us to pray for ALL people, He is commanding us to value ALL people… To trust His means of grace in prayer… And more importantly He is teaching us something about His own heart.

Which leads us to the first reason Paul gives us to PRAY for ALL people in 3 & 4,

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. 

Why must we pray for ALL people?

Because

Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s.

God is not a stingy small-hearted God… He is the generous God in whose love is expansive and eternal.

He doesn’t just love the Jews… He doesn’t just love the Ephesian Christians…

Now, most of the time when people refer to these verses particularly verse 4, they use it to argue against God’s electing grace… They say, “If God chooses those who will be saved, then what about this verse where He says that He desires all to be saved.”

I want to address this, but not because this is the point Paul is making, but because I believe it will serve us this morning. But just keep in mind we are going to return to the main point that Paul is making, and it is NOT arguing for an arminian or reformed view of God’s electing grace.

That being said, let me make a couple of observations.

#1. Both typical doctrinal positions pertaining to salvation (either sovereign grace or free will) are limiting when it comes to including this verse, unless of course someone takes the heretical position that since God desires all to be saved, every individual will be saved. This is called universalism which I would argue is implicitly if not explicitly the religion of America.

If you take the Sovereign Grace position, though God desires ALL to be saved, this position espouses that the Bible teaches that more than every individual being saved God is concerned with His glory being putting on display… And the full range of His glory involves not only His grace, but His justice and wrath toward sin.

Now, If you take the free will position, (the most common position) then you believe that though God desires ALL to be saved, God is limited in His ability to save because man makes the FINAL call. God would not violate your free will.

Christians have discussed and even argued over these distinctions for a very long time. And before I go any further, let me just say, that this is not a salvation issue. So if you find yourself differing from another Christian on this matter, as long as they are NOT espousing universalism denying the importance of evangelizing and loving the lost, then you can have a thriving relationship with them and even be sharpened by your differences.

With that said, I want to expand further on the Sovereign Grace side of the isle.

It’s interesting that in Paul’s second letter to Timothy in chapter 2 he uses similar verbage as is in verse 4 of our text.

He speaks of several attributes of a Christian such as being kind to everyone, patiently enduring evil, and being gentle to those who oppose you and by doing so, the text says in 2Timothy 2:25 that, “God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth,”

So we see here Paul saying that it is God who grants repentance. And we know for a fact NOT ALL repent… Thus when Paul writes that God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth,” And yet does not grant ALL repentance there is either something bigger at play here OR God is limited by man’s free will.

Now, if you would like to read a text that deals directly with the question, “If God elects some to salvation and condemns others, how does this jive with God’s love Read Romans. Specifically Romans 8-9.

Whereas first Timothy two is addressing the Ephesian churches struggles with sectarianism, In Romans 9, Paul is actually addressing this very question. I’ll read a few verses out of ch 9 just to whet your appetite.

13 As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

14 What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God's part? By no means! 15 For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,[b] but on God, who has mercy. 17 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.” 18 So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.

19 You will say to me then, “Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will?” 20 But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? 22 What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, 23 in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— 24 even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?

Here we see that THOUGH 1Timothy 2 declares that God desires all to be saved, at the very least that there is a higher desire… And that is the display and enjoyment of His full glory which can only be seen and enjoyed when His justice, wrath and grace are put on full display.

If you feel helpless after hearing Romans 9… You have heard the text correctly… And rather than responding in despair and hopelessness, cry out to the God who delights in saving sinners!

I believe, the reason why the doctrine of God’s sovereignty in salvation is naturally so hard for us is two fold.

First, we do not naturally understand things from God’s perspective even when told.

And second, we are bent toward a spirit of entitlement… Believing that if God extends grace to one, He must extend grace to all…

As well as fail to see the fact that if any are breathing, this side of judgment is an act of God’s grace.

God is not obligated to save a single soul let alone all those he has and will in the future. The fact that He saves any is a miracle and cause for rejoicing.

And here in 1Timothy, Paul is making the argument that God is not just interested in pouring out His love on those in the Ephesian church.

God’s heart is far bigger than that… His heart is for the nations!

The Apostle John writes of his vision,“9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

THEREFORE, Let us rejoice in the God of our salvation… The ONE whose heart is not small… But rather reached into our world… That the great and holy God of the universe looked upon us in our wickedness and rather than crushing us, crushed His SON on our behalf and CHOSE to enrapture us in His gracious and expansive love.

Amen!

Let’s look briefly at one more point on the question of “If God chooses those who will be saved, then what about this verse where He says that He desires all to be saved.”

#2. Just because a text says ALL does not mean every individual.

For example, Matthew 3 says,“5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.” Does this text indicate that Jesus baptized literally every person in Jerusalem, Judea and all the region around Jordan? Or is it a figure of speech referring to droves of people in the surrounding area coming out?

What about in Matthew 10 where it says, “and you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

I could use many other illustrations, but the point I am trying to make is that just because the word ALL is used does not mean it is necessarily referring to every individual.

I am not saying that God could not at the same time desire ALL to be saved and have a superior governing desire that dictates that all are not saved. He most certainly could and His perfect love would not be jeopardized.

I am also NOT saying that it would be wrong for God to desire ONLY those he predestined to be saved from all tribes and all nations. He most certainly could and His perfect love would not be jeopardized.

You may not be satisfied with this answer, but remember it is the Spirit of the Living God who reveals Himself and His will to us.

And though this may be difficult to grasp, I love what our SoF says in 3.2 about this subject:

“Although attended with mystery, the doctrine of election should not produce speculation, introspection, apathy, or pride but rather humility, gratitude, assurance, evangelistic passion, and eternal praise for the undeserved grace of God in Christ.” Sovereign Grace Statement of Faith 3.2

At the end of the day, we all believe that not all are saved. That God’s love includes the world. That no one deserves heaven.That it is God who saves even to the point to where we all pray that God would save people in our lives.

So let us all be found faithfully putting our trust in God to save… Let us love those around us… Not just those who are like us… And let us not divide over such matters but be strengthened by our differences as they pushes us deeper into the Scriptures, deeper in to the heart of God.

If you would like further resources on this topic, let me know and I will gladly hook you up.

Now coming back to the POINT…

Context matters. Here in 1Timothy 2, the context is not about free will vs predestination…

Paul is addressing a church who had lost its way. A church whose hearts rather than getting bigger were becoming smaller. They forgot the expansive love of their God. And this led to treating people poorly, distancing themselves, and certainly not praying for people they disliked and disagreed with.

So Paul here tells Timothy and the church that if they were going to pursue Christ and the love mentioned in chapter 1, they were going to have to prioritize praying for all people including corrupt governmental leaders.

The text says to do so is good and pleasing in the sight of God who is their Savior.

And when He saves, He gives new affections, a love for that which God loves.

And what does God love? Well, it’s certainly not just the Ephesian Christians. God’s love is borderless.

Therefore, when we pray, we should pray for the wellbeing of ALL people. Pray that God would certainly issue justice on those who do wrong, but also pray for their salvation as well.

Again, as the Westminster Shorter puts it, “Prayer is an offering up of our desires unto God, for things agreeable to His will, in the name of Christ,”

And God’s will from the very beginning includes all people groups…

When He called Abram, He said was going to make him into a great nation and He was going to bless all the families in the world through Abraham.

Isaiah 42 speaks of Israel being a light to the nations.

And in Jeremiah, God instructs Jeremiah how he should relate to his oppressors.

He says, Jeremiah 29:7 , “But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” 

When the nation of Nineveh repented Jonah cried out to God in anguish knowing that God would graciously relent if the people repented.

God’s love has been expansive from the very beginning.

And in probably the most familiar verse in the Bible John 3:16, It doesn’t say, for God so loved the Jewish people… OR for God so love America… Or God so love the nice folk who have their life together. It says, for God so love the WORLD…

God’s heart is what led Him to saving you, to Him saving me, His enemy… Amen!

THEREFORE, we are commanded to pray for ALL people, including our enemies.

I love what John Calvin writes on this. He says,

God’s desire for the salvation of all “means…there is no people and no rank in the world that is excluded from salvation.”

We see God’s expansive heart even the last phrase in verse 2, “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.

The reason we pray for a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in EVERY way, is NOT so that we might live a comfortable life… But rather that we might make a greater impact in the world.

There are many who have prayed for persecution in America to wake the church up. But here, we see Paul encouraging a church that has gone off track to pray for all people including its corrupt leaders that God might grant favor in a foreign land leading to more conversions.

When the gospel is not retricted… When the church does not have to go underground, the gospel can aired out more comprehensively.

So rather than pray for persecution,

PRAY for your governmental leaders.

PRAY for ALL christians that we would be emboldened with love and the gospel.

PRAY that God would save that person in your life that you struggle to think any good thoughts concerning.

PRAY that God would put on display His expansive love by saving the greatest wretches in our communities.

This is the heart of our God.

So some questions for us to consider as we come to a close,

Who in your life should you be praying for, but you don’t?

Do you pray for anyone other than yourself? Do you only pray when it’s an emergency? Do you treat God like a piñata?

Begin with people in this room. Who are you least inclined to pray for in the room?

Pray for them.

If you don’t pray for your leaders, prioritize your leaders.

If we don’t pray for those that are close to us and that care for us, then we certainly won’t pray for officials that we disagree with and don’t like.

What about your family and those at your work?

What about your city and country?

Do you pray for the wellbeing of those who have hurt you?

Or do your only pray imprecatory prayers concerning them ? Prayers of judgement.

Remember, Paul is commanding the church in Ephesus to pray for people like the emperor who was at the time and until his death persecuting the church.

There is nothing wrong with praying for justice. However, God loves ALL people.

Paul was once a terrorist. Tearing men and women from their families and even having them killed.

You were once an enemy/hater of God.

So to answer the question one last time, why pray for all people?

Because it aligns our hearts with God’s.

Let us pray.

Gracious God,

We praise You for Your love that knows no bounds—love that reached even us when we were lost, indifferent, or running away.

You are not a tribal god, nor the Savior of the few, but the Redeemer of people from every tribe, tongue, and nation.

So, Father, stretch our hearts. Teach us to pray for the ones we avoid, the ones we dislike, even the ones who oppose us.

Let our lives and prayers reflect the mercy we ourselves have received.

Make us bold in love, persistent in prayer, and faithful in witness.

And may Your saving power be known among all people—starting with us, right here, right now.

In the name of Jesus we pray,

Amen.

Communion

As we prepare to take of the Lord’s Supper. This table is not for those who are deserving. It’s not for the elite or the religious professionals. It’s not for those who have it all together.

This table is for the broken… for the needy… for all who come to Christ by faith.

The passage we read this morning reminds us: “God desires all people to be saved.” That means the heart of God is far wider than ours often is. He does not play favorites. He doesn’t limit His love to those who look, think, or live like us.

The bread and cup we now receive are the proof of that love. His body was broken for the broken. His blood was shed that we might be washed in His forgiveness.

So today, as we partake, let’s remember that we are not just invited guests—we are rescued sinners.

And may this table change how we see the world. May it compel us to love, to pray, and to live for the sake of all people for the glory of God, because that is the very heart of our Savior.

Come whenever you are ready.

If you need prayer or would like to know more about what it means to become a follower of Jesus, I will be available in the back during communion and certainly after service.

Benediction:

Psalm 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face to shine upon us, Selah

2 that your way may be known on earth,

your saving power among all nations.

3 Let the peoples praise you, O God;

let all the peoples praise you!

As we go from this place, remember: the God who rescued you has called you to be part of His rescue mission on the earth. Pray for all. Love without borders. Proclaim Jesus boldly. And may the love of God, the grace of Christ, and the power of the Spirit be with you always. Amen.