Pray for All People

Advice to turn your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 2 be looking at verses 1 to 7 first Timothy chapter 2 verses one status seven starting in verse one. First of all, then I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life of godly and dignified in every way.

This is good and is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

There is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time for this, I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth may be seated) heavenly father we come to you and in the name your son, who is our high priest.

He is the prophet, the one that gave us the word. He is our king who rules over a over us in heaven. We look to the song. We look to Christ, who is our mediator. We adore you we love you for who you are and your many blessings that you have given us.

We see not only as a high king in heaven, but also a shepherd that has dwelt among us, that is come into creation and given us your word. Sadly, we are like sheep and we go astray we are wayward we sin against you in thought, word and deed, and we repent of our sin. We are thankful for your mercy were thankful for your grace. Thankful that you are long-suffering with us and so we praise you and thank you for you for who you are and your great mercy that you extend to us.

We pray for the many unspoken prayers this evening. Ones that weigh heavy on our heart we pray for the known prayers for Stephanie Yarborough for Del Valle and for Ray grain. We pray that you would continue to comfort them in this difficult time.

We pray that you would bless them with an assurance of your love and your grace in your mercy, and the promises of your word that there is a future hope that they might look forward to in heaven to me while Lord we ask that you would bless this time this evening that you would be honored and that your word would give us truths about who you are and that we can rely on you and trust in you because Christ has reconciled us to you through faith in your sins. And we pray on is a joy to be with you and we are out of chapter 1 and now we are getting into chapter 2 and we know that we are transitioning into kind of the core of the book because of the phrase that were first met with here. First of all, then I urge this is a transitional statement that is throughout the letters of Paul in first Corinthians IPL and second Corinthians, I beg, I urge I ask it's it's kind of a marker that really get into the core of the book and of now we got all that out of the way. Now the real business needs to be discussed and so getting into chapter 2. We're going to look at kind of an organization of the church with come out of Paul talking about his relationship with Timothy.

He's worn Timothy and encouraged him to rebuke false teachers within the church. He speaks of his own testimony can gives us a autobiography of the grace of God in his own personal life and then he also gives us an example of church discipline, considering Hymenaeus and Alexander in our getting into chapter 2 and three in its looking at how to organize the local church. We are going to look at tonight the guidelines to prayer.

Next month I'll be looking at the roles of women in public worship, which will be coming from a Methodist background. An interesting passage to address.

But of course also the appointment of church leaders and so I hope that I can shed light on the text in is worth thinking about future elders and deacons in the church to be aware of these qualifications, but tonight Paul is addressing the topic of prayer and what he wants us to do is to pray, and live a peaceful life because Christ is our mediator and he is the mediator for all Christians and so first I want to look at verses 1 to 2, Paul calls us to prayer. A life of prayer and holy living. And then secondly I want to look at verses 3 to 7. Where will see the basis for this call on our lives, to pray, and live holy lives and we see in three and four. God's desire verses five and six God's work.

And finally, Paul gives us his authority as an apostle is the basis for our call to pray for one another. Pray for those in authority over us and then also that God would be honored as we preach the gospel and tell others of the salvation that is in Christ, so he opens up. He tells us first. I urgent supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, typically when I get up here and pray I'm always honored when they let me pray in the morning service and I how to follow a formula that was given to me early on by Matthew Henry. He has a book called a way to pray.

The only way to pray. But anyway and he maps out, the model prayer for him as he sees it in Scripture of of the word acts, not the book of acts, but the acronym AC TS adoration, confession, Thanksgiving and supplication, and so is talking about how we give adoration to God we praise God for who he is and what he's done for us.

We confess our sins, we bring our shortcomings and God forgive me for not Thanksgiving is that we honor God and thank him for the mercy that he gives us and then supplication would be as we prayed for Stephanie and Ray and Dale.

These are specific prayers for people in certain circumstances. Paul begins with supplications. This would be a type of cry to the Lord for help for those particular prayers in need. We see the word prayer meeting a more generic simple word to simply mean to pray.

Intercession in this world will come up because it's what Christ does on our behalf. It is in earnest urgent bold appeal for God to do a divine action on behalf of others and so as we pray Christ is in heaven. Romans eight will say that we are being interceded for by the Lord Jesus Christ and finally Thanksgiving's is praising God and thanking him for his many blessings that we have in him and so this is kind a model prayer that Paul uses here, but that it takes a turn not only we pray for one another.

Of course, and for a many to come into the church but he says specifically here to pray for kings and all who are in high positions, Inc. this is unusual for the time because we have to keep in mind where Paul is. He's gotten out of prison. Now he is preaching the gospel is encouraging to me and Timothy in the church of Ephesus, but he saying pray for the secular leaders of society as they govern over the city of Rome over the city of Ephesus. He's praying for them, because God has placed them in authority. Romans 13 verse one.

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities.

There is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. This leadership has been placed by the Lord himself and so in honoring God.

We honor those who are in authority over us. Peter says the same thing in first Peter to show proper respect to everyone love the family of believers fear God and honor the emperor seems a bit odd were obviously we want to pray for fellow Christians, and deftly Christian leaders, but now are called to step outside of that for some reason we are to pray for our unbelieving leaders and what makes us uniquely different for Paul is that he is asking us to pray for the Emperor Nero.

He is praying for the man that was a brutal persecutor of the church) reminds me of Jesus in the sermon on the Mount. He says to tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

You may be children of your father in heaven. It's a mark of being a child of God, that you might pray for those who malign you and mistreat you and persecute you.

This is a mark of Christianity.

Paul is praying for the very man that put him in chains, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, all these letters are written back in prison, and Paul is not saying let's go against him. We say to know. Pray for the man.

Pray for narrow pray for everyone. It's in leadership that would that might hurt the church. Why does he do this, he prays for them, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Paul reveals here that the primary purpose of this prayer is not necessarily for his conversion. That was my immediate thought that we want everyone to hear the gospel that the Lord might affectionately call him and bring him to faith in change of heart heart and then it would be better for the church. But Paul is actually prioritizing the safety of the local church. He's actually being a bit focused on us on the local congregation.

I'm sure he prayed for the conversion of Nero. That's not my point.

I'm sure that he prayed many times and he hoped that God would work through the government of Roman ultimately was Constantine there was a shift he was converted and it was a good thing to be a Christian. And so there are times in church history were it's bad to be a Christian and his times were too good to be a Christian. Paul really here is focusing on you and he wants the church to be stable. He does not want to disrupt what is the existing church in Ephesus. And so we saying pray for the leaders give them an example, do not go out and form some sort of militia were not planning revolution here were not trying to overthrow the Roman government. Not trying to overthrow the government of Ephesus. Rather, he is encouraging them to live a quiet lives marked by dignity and godliness and that word here. Godly is used half the time it's used in the Bible is used in first Timothy, Mark of the local church is repeated multiple times in Paul's writing chapter 3, the mystery of godliness is wrapped up in this Orthodox confession of faith in Christ, and Timothy is called in chapter 4, to train himself in godliness were training is literally to sweat where we get our word gymnasium gymnasium is to to sweat into work and to strive and to advance in personal holiness and sanctification and so he is training in faithfulness that God would work mightily through Paul and that now Paul is handing this off to Timothy and he saying with a sincere faith comes a sincere holiness that is Christian living, like a marathon runner. You don't just have one strong leg and have a weak leg. Each step is bouncing off the next foot and so you have not only a strong profession of Christ. But there's also a holiness that comes with this, there is not only right knowledge of truth. Also, there is godly character that goes with it.

And so he says to pray for the leadership pray for these persecuting kings pray for the emperors. Pray for the political leadership and really the goal is that we would not be limited as the local church by the civil government.

He wants us to operate as well as we can, and in doing so, we might love Christ and honor God centering our own country. I think about what the next 20 years. My next 10 years might look like for the American church.

There is a strong possibility when a doomsday I want to tell the future doomsday everybody but I think that what might be on the horizon for the local church is, there might be additional pressure on us to compromise others already a lot of talk in the media about losing a tax exempt status.

I think about. We might lose the 501(c)(3) we might lose the ability to operate in clear Christian expression when it comes to marriage.

If we do not bow the knee. We might be deemed bigots and haters and we might be ticketed with hate crimes, we might be thrown in prison. There's no telling what might happen.

Christian universities that want to believe that the Bible is the word of God might lose student loans and Pell grants and might be taxed fully or if not at a higher rate there might be additional pressure in the future on the local church in America is hard to say that we to pray for our president. We need to pray for our senators. We need to pray for our congressmen.

We need to pray for the governors, the mayors we have to pray for everyone that is in authority because God has told us to pray for everyone is in authority immunity again were praying for people to might raise political pressure against the local church and might even go as far as to teach their children to raise political pressure against our own children, and so it seems natural that we would be frustrated with this that we do not want to pray for those that persecute us.

But there is a supernatural love that comes from a redeemed heart. We pray for those who hurt us, persecute us and slanderous and malign us and so what we do as we pray for all people. We pray for all people because God has asked us to pray for all people.

John Piper has a quote about the Christian church where we've come from. Over the last hundreds of years and citizenship in America has fit nicely into being an American.

I was sure this quote with you Christian in America has been so culturally dominant and materially prosperous they has created a massively deeply un-biblical mindset, namely that we feel at home in the world. Christianity feels normal when were here in America.

This is our land.

This is the way that we do things. This is the way that we think about things we are Christian here we enjoy being thought well of. For that we expect things to go well in America, with the call to be a Christian has to has not been the call to be an alien or a foreigner. It is not been the call to be a sojourner or in exile or to be out of step is a call to be a respected citizen in the community.

We get angry if you treat my Christianity, as though it's not the norm. My views is of things. If it's not the norm.

I get angry when you take away my culture. When you take away my land, my history, I get mad because I have developed Christianity with assumptions that assume dominance and prosperity and normal and fitting in to say ouch on that he can't say men say ouch Grace Church first and foremost, we are Christians. Yes, we are Americans. I think America is the best thing going, I wouldn't want to be in any other country, but we have to see ultimately where our citizenship truly lies. And we have brothers and sisters in government and praise God that people are going into the political sphere and hopefully protecting us and signing our constitutional rights but at the same time we have to remember that this is not our home.

Ultimately, America is not our home.

Paul knew this, Paul was deeply persecuted in every city that he went to off and ran a town and beaten with clubs. He was brutally persecuted for his faith and so being in prison was not a shock for Paul again. He wants to remind us that our true citizenship is in the kingdom of God. It is in heaven with our Lord. We are not home yet we are weird we are aliens we are travelers we are sojourners or citizens of the Republic, I hear you. I understand.

But ultimately we are Christians and we served the King was enthroned in heaven and that is the one in whom we must answer to and so let us pray for those in high positions. Remember, ultimately, that we look to our citizenship that is in heaven versus three and forwarding to see the basis for our call is God's saving work.

His desire is expressed in verses three and four. This is good and is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth so it is good and pleasing to God in his sight in the sight of God our Savior, that is, Christ Jesus who desires all people to be saved, and what is this passage mean that he desires all to be saved on the surface it looks like God wants everyone everywhere to be saved and I checked the Greek it actually talks about all people and being saved is in reference to eternal life. There is a salvific or a saving way that God wants all people to be saved and so we have a couple of options to go through have to figure out looking at the text. Looking at it in context with the rest of the Bible. What does God mean that he wants all to be saved. Her first option is universalism that God saves everyone ultimately all will be reconciled to God as diverse as God desires all to be saved and he's incomplete sovereign control over everything and it's his plan of redemption. That means that everyone will be saved, atheist, agnostic Muslims, Jews, Judas Iscariot who we see is the son of perdition under universalism.

He too would be saved if you read the history of Israel though. You see that God does not love everyone in a saving way, both Jew and Gentile would not be new to this, they would see clearly from the Old Testament in the Exodus story where the Egyptians were chasing after Israel were drowned in the Red Sea. They were not saved.

Pharaoh was not ultimately given salvation. They were enemies of Israel. They were seeking to kill Israel.

Jesus warns us in Luke chapter 13 repent. Unless you repent you will likewise perish. The Pharisees are our give them a hard time there challenging his authority and he says I told you that you would die in your sins unless you believe that I am he will die sins. We have clear teachings in Matthew 25 of the second coming where Christ will return and he will divide believers and unbelievers shapes and goats weeds and tears and says they will say to those on his left. Apart from me you curse it into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels begin the passage says that God wants all to be saved. How do we reconcile this so a second view. A second option might be that God desires that all would be safe. But ultimately, some would reject the gospel. This is the Armenian view is referring to the view of salvation that God offers salvation to all, but ultimately they reject it, and what I would say is that ultimately means that God cannot save them. God is in control of everything in the universe. Yet he is not able to save us. This would mean that Jesus tried he really did, but ultimately he could not get the job done.

The father has this plan of redemption, but they are thwarted by our personal decision.

We must respond to God. Even though Ephesians 2 says that we are spiritually dead in our sins.

We must seek God, but Romans three tells us no one seeks after God.

This just simply would not work with the nature of God ultimately this means that God can be resisted.

He is in heaven. Hundreds of thousands of people die every day. God is in heaven looking down at the earth, and he is sitting on his hands, hoping that maybe we might choose him today. He can't do it.

He can't save them, God's a gentleman. He can't go in there. He can't give us heart of flesh. As Ezekiel 36 tells us he can't change our hearts.

He can't give us new life in Christ, he just simply can't do it.

This view would say that's wrong. When we pray God save my unbelieving family member God save convert the hard heart of Nero God simply just can't do it.

He's not able to. It would mean that God is not all-powerful.

He desires the people be saved. But he just simply cannot do it.

He cannot achieve and accomplish his divine will and so still what does it mean we see this first saying that he desires that all would be saved as is the third and final point I would say that Paul desires that all people would be saved. This is referring to all people groups every nation, every tribe, every tongue, every people all over the world that among them there are individuals within the country of America that belong to Christ. There are Christians in Saudi Arabia.

There Christians in Sweden and Norway. There Christians in Antarctica, scientists working out Antarctica. They are called by God and God desires that all people groups. Remember salvation was specific to Israel.

You had to be within Israel to be saved.

And so it is a wild notion that the Messiah of Israel would expand out to Gentiles, that is, non-Jewish people and so when he says it's not just them. It's for all people. It's for all people everywhere. They might come to faith.

This is a salvation for not only Jews, Greeks and slaves free male-female.

We are all one in Christ and we are heirs to the promise given by a Jewish Abraham.

This is given to us through the work of Christ, and he desires that all would be saved that the Gentiles are grafted in Ephesians 3 tells us earlier generations didn't know that hidden plan of God is now revealed in his holy apostles and prophets through the spirit. This plan is that Gentiles would be coheirs and parts of the same body and that they would share with the Jews in the promises of God in Christ Jesus through the gospel. God is drawing a nation to himself. He is forever a rebellious nation. He is sending gospel out through its missionaries and teachers and apostles through Paul here is going out of the Gentile nations, and he is giving them the gospel message and many are coming to faith, the power of the Spirit and it is God that saves we do not save ourselves. God saves us through his Spirit and it is the gospel message that we hear that the effectual call becomes a reality within her own heart and ultimately this Lord and Savior Jesus becomes our mediator. The second call. The second basis for our call. Here is the work of salvation. There is one God. There is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus Christ becomes not only our mediator, but he is a Savior that comes into the world sent by the eternal plan of the triune God. God is not simple like you and I there is three persons, father, son and Holy Spirit in the plan of redemption is God the son would be sent into the world and that he might be a mediator and an intercessor for us that he prays on our behalf to the father. Christ is our mediator in the sense that he organizes this connection between sinful man and a holy God. This is the role of a mediator that seen throughout the Old Testament. In the cases of Abraham and Moses and David. Samuel and Hezekiah and Elijah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, these prophets of old are a meeting point between a holy God that appoints them to ministry and then a sinful man that is separated due to their sin and what Christ is doing as he is coming in and he is the ultimate mediator because we pray as Christians, God please save this person comfort this person bring them to faith in Christ is working mightily to bring fellow believers into the local church bring giving them saving faith and he is a greater mediator than any of the Old Testament prophets. It must be Christ that intercedes on our behalf and he intercedes not on behalf of atheists, not on behalf of Muslims again. When we look at all people. Christ is only interceding on behalf of Christians and those Christians are spread throughout all people in the world. John gives us an example of Jesus being our intercessor in John chapter 17 says I am praying. I am not praying for the world is not praying for everybody.

He specifically praying for those in whom you have given me, for they are yours, and he's referring to his disciples are with him because he later says in the same chapter. I don't ask for these only not just these few disciples is apostles. I'm praying for all those who will believe in me through their word that they may be one, just as you father are in me and I and you and they also may be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me Christians are being united to Christ and Christ is in union with the father.

It's pointing to this reality that Jesus is our great high priest. He offers himself up as a sacrifice satisfies divine justice. He reconciles us to God and then he makes continual intercession on our behalf in heaven. He is our mediator. He is the one that we have if we would ever have my the best lawyer in town. Christ is the ultimate mediator. He is the ultimate advocate that speaks on our behalf to heavenly father. In Revelation chapter 5 tells us they sing a new song they praise God in heaven that worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. God is a Savior, not only to just the Gentiles but he gathers Christians throughout the world. Jesus died as a ransom for Christians is an atoning sacrifice.

We see this throughout the Bible, especially in Isaiah chapter 53 that by his stripes we are healed. We are saved through his laying his life down on our behalf, so he is a ransom not for the world but specifically for believers. He is both fully God is God the son, but he also is the word incarnate, he is God that comes into the world and he is without sin.

What must be noticed noted here is that not only is Christ the unblemished lamb not only has the one that is the ultimate sacrifice for us, but he is also one that can stand before the Lord, just as the priests of old would do. Going into the temple and before the presence of God. So he is both priest and sacrifice. Only Christ saves only he can accomplish this work on our behalf.

So finally our third subpoint here is Paul cites his own missionary call for this, I was appointed a preacher and apostle. I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying a teacher to the Gentiles in faith and truth knows he has to say. I'm telling the truth, I'm not lying has to clarify this. This is a joke. It's not just for the Jews.

I really am sent out to the Gentile nations for this message. Jesus is going in and he is our mediator. He is the God given authority I gives Paul, the God given authority to be a messenger on his behalf, and he ultimately tells Paul and Paul tells Timothy preach the word proclaim this truth proclaim it loudly that Jesus Christ is Lord, and he can save and that we must look to him beyond the means of grace hear the preached word that Christ does save and in doing so, God changes the heart of stone. He gives us this heart of flesh. We are now convicted over sin we repent. Second Timothy chapter 2 tells us that repentance is granted. Ephesians 2 tells us that faith is granted by grace. Even the faith that we think that we created no God gave us that by grace. It's all what God does for us.

It's nothing that we do ourselves and so Paul is just Sam to get out here and just simply tell you I don't have to do anything God is what changes the heart. God is who grants salvation. And in doing so he tells Timothy proclaim this truth. Teach this truth that is explain this truth not only proclaim it but after the fact. Explain what's going on.

Explain how God is working through this gospel message, and he cites his authority to say this is ironclad Lord Jesus Christ himself who says I can say this, Jesus Christ, God the son, tells me to proclaim this truth to anyone and everyone indiscriminately, and God will work to draw all people.

That is all Christians to himself. And so in closing some points here of application, pray, pray, pray often pray frequently prebrief pray urgently pray for specific people and their circumstances.

Pray for our enemies. It's difficult to pray for enemies. But that's exactly why we ought to pray more diligently, pray for all people.

Secondly, live a quiet life. We are not called to overthrow the government.

We are not we are not called to tremendous moves of earthly political things I love in our confession. It says that we are only to deal with that which is ecclesiastical as a minister the gospel.

I only deal with what is involved in the church and III relish and that I'm so glad to just concern myself with my fellow citizens here in the local church, but we are to live lives that are marked with a quiet life marked by peace, marked by dignity and of course godliness. Third, in ordinary ways. I hope that we can tell others about the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not like I said ordinary means. It does not need to be some TV broadcasting sort of thing is nothing wrong with that but we don't have to do these big movements of God.

What we need to do is live a humble dignified life honoring the Lord when given the opportunity to tell others about Jesus, and to simply point them to salvation in Christ. And so, in summary, pray, live a quiet life and tell everyone about Jesus spray heavenly father we do come to you.

Only in the sun. The sun who has given us a new heart of the sun, who is our intercessor. He is our mediator. We ask that you would remind us of this truth regularly that without Christ we have no access to. We have no salvation found anywhere. It is only in Christ that we are reconciled to you by faith we ask that you are right this truth on our hearts. It will be a reality within our hearts that we live quiet and dignified lives honoring the Lord with right conduct, and with a right doctrine within our own hearts and your sins. And we pray, amen