Blueprints for a healthy church 2

Prayer of Preparation

As we continue in our series from 1 and 2 Timothy, today we will be looking at the first part of 1 Timothy chapter 2.

Last week as we look at chapter one, we talked about guarding the gospel.

When building a building, one must first decide what they are going to build, they must come up with a design, what they are wanting built.

As we guard the gospel, we are saying that the church that we are going to build is founded and grounded on the gospel message.

Then the property must be secured and the property then must be prepared, all the site work completed.

The property surveyed, then cleared, the building site then prepared for the foundation.

As we look at the first half of 1 Timothy chapter 2, we will see that when building the body of Christ it must be prepared through prayer.

As we stand strong of the gospel message, we must prepare everything we do through prayer.

Paul gives us three main points in our text this morning, first we are to pray for all people, then who we are to pray too, and finally how we are to pray.

Look with me at our text this morning 1 Timothy 2:1-8

1 Timothy 2:1–8 CSB

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

Pray

Paul begins these instruction on prayer with the words first of all and I urge.

Paul is building these instructions based on what he had wrote in the first chapter.

As he instructed Timothy to guard the gospel message, he now gives instructions to pray for all people.

As there were false teachers causing series problems in the church, prayer needed to be a top priority.

I. Prayer for all People

1 Timothy 2:1–4 CSB

1 First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, 4 who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Prayer for all people is essential because God desires all people to be saved.

Limiting our prayers for salvation to only select people is theologically deficient because God’s salvation is for all.

This also means that we are to be open to anyone and everyone that comes, God has provided salvation for all people that will come to Him, and therefore, we must be willing to minister to all people.

This all people means every person, no matter their race, religion, cultural background, position in society, and any other barriers.

Verse one begins with First of all, this signifies a priority of importance, prayer may not take priority in sequence or time, but it is first in importance because it is connected to God’s work of salvation for all people.

Paul then list four names or kinds of prayer.

Petitions or supplications

This kind of prayer carries the idea of offering a request for a felt need.

This kind of prayer is based on a sense of deep spiritual need.

It is the same king of prayer mentioned in James 5:16

James 5:16 CSB

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.

2. Prayers

This is the most common term for the activity of prayer, and it emphasizes the sacredness of prayer.

We are praying to God; prayer is an act of worship, not just an expression of our wants and needs.

There should be reverence in our hearts as we pray to God.

3. Intercessions

This kind of prayer is to draw near to a person and converse confidently with them.

It suggest that we enjoy fellowship with God so that we have confidence in Him as we pray.

Intercessions is kind of prayer that is used of Christ’s prayers for believers in Hebrews 7:25

Hebrews 7:25 CSB

25 Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, since he always lives to intercede for them.

4. Thanksgivings

Giving thanks is definitely a part of worship.

We not only give thanks for answers to prayer, but for who God is and what He does for us in His grace.

We should not simply add our thanksgiving to the end of a selfish prayer!

Thanksgiving should be an important ingredient in all of our prayers.

Our prayers are to be offered for everyone, this includes for kings and all who are in high positions.

Now we do not have kings in our nation, but we should be praying for our president, and all in authority.

This even means we are to pray for those we do not agree with.

For the church at Ephesus this even meant the false teachers.

Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount to even pray for our enemies, Matthew 5:43-48

Matthew 5:43–48 CSB

43 “You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same? 48 Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

As we pray for those in authorities, we are lifting up prayers for the president to God, not to the president, In Ephesus there was emperor worship taking place.

Paul then gives us two reasons for these prayers.

Quiet and Peaceable life.

The end of verse 2, Paul says so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

Paul’s hope was that through their prayers, the Ephesian Christians will not be under suspicion of disloyalty to the authorities.

Paul wanted his readers to live an orderly life free of strife and discord so as to convince unbelievers that Christianity was worthy of their attention.

2. Right and Acceptable

The second reason they were to pray was it was right and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

We present our prayers in the heavenly court, face-to-face with God, like a person presenting a petition before an earthly judge.

God wants to save everyone.

The gospel is universal in scope; it is not just for an elite few.

God desires that all people should be saved, this does not mean that all people will be saved.

But we are called to pray for all people, as we do not know who will be saved and who will reject Jesus.

II. Who are we to pray too

1 Timothy 2:5–7 CSB

5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time. 7 For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

Building on God’s desire to save all people, Paul uses what may have been an existing confessional statement held by the early church.

This confessional statement emphasizes three themes:

The uniqueness of one God, the person of Christ as mediator, and the redemptive work of Christ.

One God

Verse 5 begins with For there is one God which calls attention to Israel’s basic belief in Yahweh, which was recited again and again.

Deuteronomy 6:4 CSB

4 “Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

Paul clarifies that there is only one God. and that salvation is based on the oneness of God.

If there were many gods, there could be many ways of salvation.

But since there is only one God, then there is only one way of salvation.

2. One Mediator

Paul continues in verse 5, One Mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.

A mediator is one who acts as a go-between, linking two parties.

The mediator is a negotiator, one who establishes a relation which would not otherwise exist.

Jesus Christ is the mediator, Christ is not an emperor for whom deity is ascribed, as in pagan religion, but the divine one who has become human.

Jesus Christ represents both parties - God and humanity - and is the only one who can reconcile them.

Jesus speaks for God to humans in divine revelation, and he speaks to God on behalf of humans as intercessor.

There is only one mediator because Jesus Christ alone is sufficient to meet the need.

Jesus established a new covenant between God and humanity in this mediator role.

3. A Ransom

The one mediator, the human Christ Jesus, gave himself for our redemption.

Jesus was not forced to give himself, but freely offered himself on our behalf.

As prayers are for all and as God desires that all be saved, so Jesus gives his life for all; without Jesus’ giving himself, no one can be saved and prayer would be meaningless.

Paul then states that he was appointed a herald, and an apostle.

Paul was appointed to proclaim the good news of salvation for all humankind.

Paul’s appointment to preach the gospel to all the nations, both Jews and Gentiles, substantiates God’s desire to save all persons and thus lays an obligation on the readers to pray for all.

Just as Paul was appointed to spread the gospel message, as followers of Jesus Christ we also are appointed to spread the gospel message.

With that we must pray for all people to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The world will tell us that there are multiple ways to heaven, or that there is multiple gods.

We must understand that there is only one God, and one way to heaven and that is through salvation provided by Jesus Christ.

III. How to Pray

1 Timothy 2:8 CSB

8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.

Here Paul directs the instructions to the men of the church.

The instructions are for men to pray in every place.

Then he says to pray in the usual Jewish posture: lifting up washed hands..

Something that we all need to pay attention too, weather male or female and is more important than the posture.

It is the attitude with which to pray.

We are to pray without anger or argument.

Open hands are the opposite of clenched fists, which indicates anger or resentment.

In calling for a right attitude in prayer and worship, Paul applies the teachings of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 5:21–26 CSB

21 “You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment. 22 But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire. 23 So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.

We must examine our attitude when coming to prayer and worship.

A profane attitude in prayer is worse than an improper posture.

Holy hands lifted up and open to God suggest total commitment to God, the opposite of expressing anger.

We must be fully committed to Jesus Christ.

Closing

Prayer is essential to building a healthy church, without prayer we will fail.

To be a healthy body of believers, we must pray for all people to be saved, understand that God through Jesus Christ is the only one to be praying too and the only one that can save unbelievers, and we must come to God in prayer with the right attitude.

If we are going to see God do great and mighty things here, we must make prayer a priority.