Instructions for the Church
Notes
Transcript
Good morning, brothers and sisters. Today we are looking at a very important part of God's Word from the book of 1 Timothy, chapter 2. This letter was written by the apostle Paul to a young leader named Timothy. Paul was helping Timothy know how to lead the church well. In fact, in chapter 3 verse 15, Paul says this is why he is writing:
1 Timothy 3:15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to act in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
The church is God's household, His family here on earth. It is a special place where the living God is present, and it holds up the truth of the gospel like a strong pillar and foundation. So how we live and act together matters a lot. Paul wants us to know the right way to behave as God's people.
To understand this, let's think about Timothy for a moment. Paul trusted him deeply. In another letter Paul wrote, he said this about Timothy:
19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon so that I too may be encouraged by news about you. 20 For I have no one else like-minded who will genuinely care about your interests; 21 all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know his proven character, because he has served with me in the gospel ministry like a son with a father.
Timothy was different from most people. He genuinely cared about others and about Jesus' work. Most others were looking out only for themselves. Timothy put the interests of Jesus Christ first. That is the kind of heart we need in God's household. And part of that heart shows up in how we pray and how we live our roles as men and women.
Today we will look at Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy 2:1-15. We will see instructions on prayer, especially for men, and then instructions for women in the church. These are not just suggestions. They come from God's authority through Paul, and they help us live in a way that honors God and helps the gospel go forward.
Let's start with prayer. Prayer is one of the most important things God's people do. Paul begins chapter 2 by saying this is the first thing he wants to talk about:
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.
Paul urges us—strongly encourages us—to pray in different ways for everyone. Petitions are when we plead or ask God for specific things. Prayers here means worshipful talking to God. Intercessions are when we come alongside someone in compassion, standing in the gap for their needs. And thanksgivings are when we thank God for what He has done.
Who do we pray for? Everyone! That includes kings and all those in authority. In Paul's day, the rulers were often not friendly to Christians. Some were even cruel. But Paul says pray for them anyway. Why? So that we can live peaceful, quiet lives in godliness and dignity. When leaders make good laws and keep order, it helps everyone, including the church, to live out our faith without too much trouble.
Praying for our leaders helps us to live as peacemakers rather than those who stir up trouble and rebellion.
1 Remind them to submit to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to slander no one, to avoid fighting, and to be kind, always showing gentleness to all people. 3 For we too were once foolish, disobedient, deceived, enslaved by various passions and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, detesting one another.
Paul says when we pray for the lost and our leaders, it pleases God:
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.
God our Savior wants everyone to be saved. He wants every person to know the truth about Jesus. That is why we pray for all people, even those in charge who may not believe yet. Our prayers are part of God's plan to bring salvation to the world. Paul reminds us of the heart of the gospel that should be at the center of our prayers:
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.
There is only one God. And there is only one way to come to Him—through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the mediator, the one who stands between us and God. He paid the price for our sins by giving His life as a ransom. He bought us back from sin and death. This is the truth we hold up as the church. This is why prayer matters so much. We are asking God to open people's eyes to this one Savior. Paul says he was appointed to tell this good news:
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.
Paul's job was to announce this message to people who did not know God, especially non-Jews. And because this message is so important, prayer is the foundation.
Now Paul turns to how we should pray when we gather together. He starts with the men:
8 Therefore, I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or argument.
Paul commands this. The word "want" here carries strong authority—it is like a command. Men, in every church, everywhere, should pray. Lifting up holy hands was a common way to pray in those days. It showed dependence on God. But the hands have to be holy. That means a pure life, clean from sin. And pray without anger or arguing. That means right relationships with others. If there is bitterness or fights among us, it gets in the way of prayer.
The Bible even says in another place that if husbands do not treat their wives with honor and understanding, their prayers can be hindered:
7 Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Men, God calls us to lead in prayer. We should be the ones stepping up, with clean hearts and peaceful relationships, to pray for the church and for the world. We need more men who take this seriously, who pray regularly, who lead their families and the church in prayer. Prayer is not just for a few people. It is for all of us, but Paul especially calls the men to make it a priority.
Charles Spurgeon, a preacher from many years ago, said something powerful about this. He talked about how important prayer is for anyone who wants to see souls saved. He said you cannot bring people to God if you do not go to God yourself. If we spend time alone with Jesus in prayer, we catch His heart. We start to care like He cares. We weep over people who are lost, like Jesus did over the city of Jerusalem. Spurgeon was worried that some Christians just sit back and let others do the work. He blessed those who are always eager to win souls, but he warned against those who are satisfied to just show up and do nothing more.
Friends, prayer is how we join God in His work. It is how we show we care about what Jesus cares about. Let's be people who pray for everyone, including our leaders, so that the gospel can spread and people can be saved.
Now Paul turns to instructions for women in the church. This part is often misunderstood, but it is important for order and honor in God's household.
9 Also, the women are to dress themselves in modest clothing, with decency and good sense, not with elaborate hairstyles, gold, pearls, or expensive apparel, 10 but with good works, as is proper for women who profess to worship God.
Women should dress modestly. In Paul's day, some wealthy women would wear very expensive clothes, fancy hairstyles with gold and pearls, to show off their money and draw attention. These clothes could cost a lot—way more than most people earned in a year. But Paul says do not do that. Dress with decency and good sense. Do not try to draw attention to yourself in a way that tempts others or shows pride.
Why? Because men are often visually driven. In church, we want to help each other focus on worshiping God, not on physical things. And the best way to be beautiful is with good works. Live a life full of kindness, service, and love for God. That is what really shines.
Then Paul talks about learning and roles in the church:
11 A woman is to learn quietly with full submission. 12 I do not allow a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; instead, she is to remain quiet.
This does not mean women cannot learn. In fact, Paul is commanding that women be taught! In the Jewish and Greek world of that time, many teachers did not teach women. Women were not valued in learning. But Paul says they should learn. The word "quietly" is the same word used earlier for a "quiet life" in prayer. It means peaceful, not disruptive.
The phrase "full submission" shows respect for God's order. God made men and women equal in value. We are all one in Christ:
28 There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.
The Bible never teaches that women are inferior. Jesus showed this. He talked to women, taught them, healed them. The first person He told He was the Messiah was a woman. After He rose from the dead, He appeared first to a woman. Women prayed with the men in the early church. Paul greets many women in his letters and thanks them for their work.
But God gave different roles to men and women. These roles bring unity and order. Paul says women should not teach or have authority over men in the church gathering. The words here point to the role of teaching the whole church, like what elders and pastors do. In the New Testament, there are no women pastors, elders, or authors of Scripture. No sermons by women are recorded there.
This is not because women cannot teach at all. Women taught others. For example, Priscilla helped teach a man named Apollos in private. Older women are told to teach younger women. Timothy was taught by his mother and grandmother. There are many ways women serve and teach that honor God.
The reason Paul gives is from creation:
13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.
God created Adam first, then Eve as a helper like him:
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper corresponding to him.”
This order is God's design, not a cultural thing. Eve was deceived by the serpent, but Adam chose to disobey, and as the head, he bore the main responsibility. The Bible connects the fall to Adam's sin.
This design is like marriage:
22 Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord, 23 because the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of the body. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her with the washing of water by the word. 27 He did this to present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless. 28 In the same way, husbands are to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own flesh but provides and cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, 30 since we are members of his body.
Wives submit to husbands as the church submits to Christ. Husbands love wives as Christ loved the church—giving Himself for her. This is a beautiful picture of Christ and the church.
Finally, Paul says:
15 But she will be saved through childbearing, if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with good sense.
This verse can be hard. It does not mean women are saved by having children. Salvation is only through Jesus. But it points to how God uses women in a special way. A woman was first deceived, but women have the great role of bearing and raising children. They teach them, care for them, and help them know the Lord. Mothers have a unique bond with their children. Even Jesus came through a mother, Mary. God honors this role. Women who continue in faith, love, holiness, and good sense find their place in God's plan.
Brothers and sisters, these instructions are for our good. They help us honor God, keep order in His household, and focus on the gospel. Men, lead in prayer with holy lives. Women, shine with modesty and good works, embracing the roles God gives. All of us, pray for everyone so more people can know Jesus, the one Mediator who gave Himself for us.
Let us be like Timothy—people who care more about Jesus' interests than our own. Let us pray, live, and serve in God's household so the truth stands strong.
May God help us do this together. Amen.
