2 Timothy, Rules for life 4
Notes
Transcript
I encourage you to open your bibles to 2 Timothy this morning. We are studying this last letter from Paul, written to Timothy, and seeing some of the key points Paul was sharing as rules for life. These are things, that if we put them into practice, are of great practical use to us no matter what we may face.
Today, we will be seeing Rule 4.
In these times, it is so easy for believers to feel alone, isolated. I have even heard some say that they feel like their relationship with the Lord is distant.
Some say that they pray, but they feel like they are not close to God.
How do we handle that? What can we do? I believe Paul knew exactly what we are facing. He was alone and isolated in prison. So, he shared with Timothy, and with us.
Let’s pray and then look into God’s word together to find how we can deal with this isolation, and feeling farther from God.
prayer
Let’s begin by reading just the first 4 verses together from the NIV.
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus,
To Timothy, my dear son:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy.
We have already looked at the first 3 points Paul made to Timothy:
Know who you are, and your purpose
Know from where grace, mercy and peace come
Have a clear conscience
Those three points will truly help us in life. Today, we are going to look at the fourth.
The fourth thing Paul teaches us by example here is:
Pray constantly
Pray constantly
Paul knew what it was to be alone. He had just been abandoned by almost all of his friends and coworkers.
He knew what it was to suffer. He was in a dank, hole in the ground.
He knew what it was like to be misjudged. He had just been tried and imprisoned, awaiting death.
Yet through it all, he prayed. He prayed constantly, night and day.
When all other relationships were lost, he leant into the One who is closer than a brother. He continually talked with his loving Father, and His great High Priest, Jesus.
He found strength beyond compare, and was able then to continue as a minister of Jesus, by writing to Timothy to encourage him. And part of that encouragement was that he was remembering Timothy in his prayers, night and day, constantly.
Timothy was able to find strength in Paul who had his back.
When we are feeling alone, and even distant from the Lord, we need to remember this example of Paul. When he was feeling most alone, he prayed more!
Paul prayed constantly. Paul prayed night and day.
What did Jesus do as he was going through his trial? He spent the night in prayer. As he was hanging on the cross he was praying.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).
Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
When in trials, Pray Constantly
When in trials, Pray Constantly
When we are going through difficult times, that we need to pray. Prayer will keep us anchored in the Lord. Prayer will connect us with our Father and Savior to find His strength for all that we face.
Paul learned that when he was struggling with an illness, and prayed to the Lord about it three times. What did the Lord teach him through his time in going to the Lord in prayer?
Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
Praying to find God’s Power and Grace
Praying to find God’s Power and Grace
It was through his time in prayer that Paul learned about God’s power working through him in his weakness. He learned that God’s grace is sufficient.
However, one thing we see from Paul’s letters is that he did not just pray when going through trials. Paul was a man who was praying constantly even before he got into this trial.
Before trials, Pray Constantly
Before trials, Pray Constantly
We see the same when we look at the life of Jesus in the gospels. Jesus is that he did not just pray when he came to the trial at the end of his life. Jesus prayed throughout his life. We see him praying in the morning.
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
We see Jesus praying through the night.
One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God.
We see Jesus praying in the day.
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Jesus also prayed constantly before he got to his trial.
We need to be praying constantly before the trials hit us.
We need to ask Jesus, as did the disciples...
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Praying: Teach us to Pray
Praying: Teach us to Pray
Jesus, teach us to pray. I think this is a crucial thought. We need to realize how important it is to be praying, and communicating. We need to have the Lord teach us to make communicating with him a very real, and constant part of our lives!
How can we be close to someone when we do not see them, hear from them, talk with them? The more time that goes by without communication, the more distant we become in any relationship.
In good times, you may still feel close to someone without a lot of communication. But when hard times come and you do not have communication, how much more distant do you feel?
The same goes in our relationship with God. In good times, we may feel ‘ok’ with God with minimal effort. But when difficulties come, lack of communication makes us feel more distant.
Are we not close to God simply because we do not take time to really pray, to really talk with our Father who loves us?
Do you want to be close to the Lord? Pray Constantly.
A main step for a believer to feel close to the Lord is to draw near to Him in prayer!
But what do you do when you are praying, and you feel distant from the Lord?
That can happen to all of us. Jesus cried out on the cross, “Father, why have you forsaken me?” He felt the distance.
Why?
What causes us to feel distant from the Lord even when we pray?
What causes us to feel distant from the Lord even when we pray?
What caused Jesus to feel distant from the Father?
He was bearing the sin of the world.
The first thing that can make us feel distant from the Lord, even if we are praying is:
Sin hinders prayer
Sin hinders prayer
When there is some sin, some disobedience in our lives, it keeps us from feeling close to the Father. We can pray all we want, but that sin creates a real wedge in our relationship with our Father.
The scriptures show this over and over.
If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.
Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!
Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong.
If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,
even their prayers are detestable.
(NIV): 9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.
What are some of the sins that can keep us feeling distant when we pray?
Selfishness/Self-centeredness hinders prayer
Selfishness/Self-centeredness hinders prayer
If we are praying, and only considering ourselves, or what we want for our sake, that will hinder our prayers.
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Asking for things, even good things, just so we can have them for ourselves hinders our prayer. Lord, please make my children obey. Good thing. But if my motive is just so I will have it easy as the parent, then I am asking for myself, for my own selfish motives. Praying for what I want, for my own ease and comfort hinders my prayers.
Sometimes, God does give us good things to enjoy in life. But that is not to be our focus in our prayers.
Lack of forgiveness hinders prayer
Lack of forgiveness hinders prayer
Is there someone that you are not forgiving? Someone that you are holding something against? That is disobedience. God has commanded that we forgive as He, in Christ, has forgiven us. Ephesians 4:32.
And it is in the model of prayer that Jesus taught us,
Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.’ ”
And it was after he taught his disciples about prayer that he said,
For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
If we are not willing to forgive someone, and are holding bitterness in our hearts, that will create a distance between us and our Father.
Sin will keep him from hearing our prayers.
Not desiring His will hinders prayer
Not desiring His will hinders prayer
If I am praying, and only what what I want, and have no interest in what God may be trying to do, this will hinder my prayers.
Who wants to go through trials? Not many. But often it is us going through trials that God wants to use to perfect our faith, and to lead others to Him.
We need to pray, and truly seek His will, not just our own.
This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.
There is no sense praying if we do not want his will to be done.
This is the example Jesus set for us.
He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”
If we are not praying as Jesus did, wanting God’s will, that will hinder our prayers.
Not praying in faith hinders prayer
Not praying in faith hinders prayer
Have you ever talked with someone who is like an Ee-ore? “Well, you won’t really do anything for me anyway.” “Well, you don’t really care.” How does that help your relationship?
God wants us to pray in faith. He wants us to pray and truly trust Him to do what needs to be done for His glory and our gain.
If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
Abraham learned to pray and live in faith.
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.”
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.
This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.”
george mueller
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
Not being thankful hinders prayer
Not being thankful hinders prayer
Have you ever dealt with someone who is unthankful? You do things for them, but they are not grateful? Then, they come again, and want more? And again… And again…
What kind of relationship do you have with them? Not very close, usually.
God is gracious and kind. However, being thankful is something we are commanded to do over and over in scripture. I wonder if the sin of ungratefulness is what is keeping most Christians from being closer to their Father in prayer?
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.
He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to distribute to the people, and they did so.
So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.
Paul
First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world.
I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus.
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all God’s people,
I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers.
always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I thank my God every time I remember you.
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you,
We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers.
How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you?
pray continually,
give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
Daniel
Now when Daniel learned that the decree had been published, he went home to his upstairs room where the windows opened toward Jerusalem. Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
Illustration of pastor asking boy where he got bread
What does thankfulness look like?
Acts 16. Philippian jail scene.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them.
Thankfulness.
Paul had learned to be thankful to the Lord all his life. And now at the end of his life, he was still praying in thankfulness.
I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers.
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.