8-26-13 (Revised 10-9-2022)
Help Me God, I'm Confused
I Timothy 2:1-4
“It ain’t over till its over.” You know who said that? Yogi Berra. That line makes sense. But most of the things he said, make you scratch your head. Yogi was known as the master of confusion and double speak having said things like:
This is like déjà vu all over again.
You can observe a lot just by watching.
You’ve got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going because you might not get there.
I knew I was going to take the wrong train, so I left early.
Baseball is 90% mental – The other half is physical.
A nickel isn’t worth a dime today.
It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking to much.
If you come to a fork in the road, take it.
If the fans don’t come out to the park, you can't stop them.
If ain't the heat; it’s the humility.
You should always go to other people's funerals; otherwise, they won't come to yours.
I didn’t really say everything I said.
Yogi was not the only person to get confused. This world can be confusing. An internet forward a while back (adapted here) made the following observations that demonstrate the confusion of our current culture and political climate:
If you can get arrested for hunting or fishing without a license, but not for being in the country illegally ...you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the only school curriculum allowed to explain how we got here is evolution, but the government stops a $15 million construction project to keep a rare spider from evolving to extinction ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If children are forcibly removed from parents who discipline them with spankings while children of addicts are left in filth and drug infested “homes”... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the government wants to ban stable, law-abiding citizens from owning gun magazines with more than ten rounds, but gave 20 F-16 fighter jets to crazy leaders in Egypt ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If hard work and success are met with higher taxes and more government intrusion, while not working is rewarded with government checks, subsidized housing and free cell phones ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If the government's plan for getting people back to work is to incentivize NOT working with 99 weeks of unemployment checks and no requirement to prove they applied but can’t find work ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If, in the largest city, you can buy two 16-ounce sodas, but not a 24-ounce soda because 24-ounces of a sugary drink might make you fat ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If an 80-year-old woman can be stripped searched by the TSA, but a woman in a hijab is only subject to having her neck and head searched ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If your government believes that the best way to eradicate trillions of dollars of debt is to spend trillions more ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If you have to show identification to board an airplane, cash a check, buy liquor or check out a library book, but not to vote who runs the government ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
If being stripped of the ability to defend yourself makes you more "safe" according to the government ... you might live in a country founded by geniuses but run by idiots.
Such actions are very confusing. When you consider the moral underpinnings of our country's founding, and the biblical basis for the laws that govern this land, we can only shake our head at the kinds of legal and moral decisions that are made today by people in authority.
The administration in Washington D.C. continues to put policies in place that are very confusing. A while back there was an order that military chaplains were not allowed to pray in the name of Jesus.
And soldiers in the U.S. Military were told in a training briefing that evangelical Christians are the No. 1 extremist threat to America – ahead of groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, KKK, Nation of Islam, al-Qaida, Hamas and others.
That briefing, which was given to an Army reserve unit in Pennsylvania, came from a U.S. Army Reserve Equal Opportunity training brief titled “Extremism and Extremist Organizations.”
Where will this end? It leaves those of us who have an understanding of God's will for people and nations very confused and often willing to just throw up our hands in defeat.
But, then I read what the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy in I Timothy 2:1-4 and I become even more confused. I have to ask, “God, do you really mean it?”
Think about what was just discussed as you listen to these words of Scripture.
I Timothy 2:1-4 “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
Really..., I'm supposed to:
1. Pray for the King and all those in authority?
That is what it says. That is God's inspired Word. That is not given as a suggestion, it is a command. There is no wiggle room in this text even if we don't agree with those who are in authority at any given time.
As I recall, the authorities of Rome were in control during the times of the New Testament. Some of the kings of the time were strongly opposed to the followers of Jesus, so much so that Christians were brutally treated, even put to death just because of their faith.
Yet, God says He wants us to pray for people in authority without qualification. God doesn't say that we should only pray for those in authority with whom we agree. He says “pray for the king and all those in authority.”
This is not the only scripture that addresses the subject of our responsibility to those in authority. Romans chapter 13 also teaches us what God thinks about government. There it says,
Romans 13:1-3 “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. “Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same."
And verse five says, “Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake."
Romans 13:1 pointedly says “…the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” All human authority is limited in its scope. Only God has absolute authority over our lives.
But God has designed different authority over the different areas of our lives. At home there is accountability to family members, on the job there is accountability to a boss, at church there is spiritual leadership, in society there are civil authorities.
None of these authorities have a right to totally govern our lives. Only God has that authority. Submission to human authority is not based upon our respect for the Person over us, but for the Office or Position that person is given by God.
We saw this demonstrated in the life of David as he submitted himself to King Saul. Even though Saul was doing everything wrong and treating David so unjustly, still David honored Saul as “the Lord’s anointed.”
So does that mean that we can never disagree with those who are in authority? Should we not express our concerns and even encourage others to share our view?
Thankfully we happen to live in a country that allows, even encourages, participation by the people. As Abraham Lincoln stated in his address at Gettysburg:
“...We here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”
Since we live in a country established of, by and for the people, it is more than proper that we take our rights to be politically active seriously. The deadline to register for the upcoming elections is this Wednesday. Christians should be informed, regular voters.
If we aren't, we will suffer the fate of the words of Plato, the Greek philosopher who said: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”
Well, we don't have to take the word “inferiors” too seriously. But if we are not involved, we do have to take the consequences. And there are times when even if we are involved, informed and vote regularly, the outcomes are not always to our liking.
That brings us back to our scripture for today we are to pray “for kings and all those in authority”. Yet, that is not all that it says. Because...
2. There is a purpose attached.
Yes, it is a command with a purpose. There is a two pronged purpose for such a prayer. First we are to pray for kings and all those in authority so “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
But there it is again. I'm confused. Nothing in this world appears to be peaceful. It is sad to say, but there are currently ongoing wars or minor conflicts in around three dozen countries, most of them in the Middle East, North West Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
And on February 24, 2022, the Russian Federation began a military invasion of Ukraine, and our country is sending billions of dollars to aid the Ukrainians. Things are not very peaceful.
When those terrorists took over those airplanes 21 years ago, our nation was anything but peaceful and quiet.
We were hoping and praying for more survivors and mourning the thousands of dead with the rest of the nation, all the while asking ourselves how such evil acts could have happened.
Perhaps the lament of a volunteer rescue worker in New York City, in a short interview on MSNBC stated the relevant theological truth: “This world is evil. This world is evil,” he said, shaking his head sadly. He was right.
So the second purpose to pray for those in authority is found in the words, “God our Savior... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” That truth is that Jesus went to the cross and died in our place so that all who come to Him might be forgiven of their sins.
That is the reason we should be doing our best to apply to our lives the purposes for the command to pray for those in authority. That as Christians we will be an example of people who are “saved” and live in “all godliness and holiness” so that Christ will be honored.
Bob Deffinbaugh wrote, “Godliness refers to practical religion, or, perhaps we should say, practiced religion. Godliness is the religion we practice in our day-to-day walk.”
So for example, to be godly in the midst of traffic, we are to be both patient while stuck in traffic and obedient to the traffic rules.
To be godly in business, one should pay the right taxes and give the right wages to the employees. Godly employees should make the most of the working hours by giving it their best shot, and treat their co-workers well.
To be a godly child is to obey the parents and respect them even if there are times the child can't understand them.
To be a godly parent, means to commit to bring Biblical standards into the home and marriage. And to stick to those standards even if the world says otherwise. To be a godly spouse, husbands are to love their wives, and wives are to submit to their husbands.
Therefore, to be godly is to do what is right in all areas of life.
But we should do so not just because we must do it, but because we want to do it to honor the Christ who went to the cross, taking the burden of our sins with Him there.
The truth is, we cannot control the events of the world around us, but we can have control over who we are and how we live.
We can, and must, pray for our country and our leaders. That is why they are included in our weekly prayer list.
Our world, even our nation is not what it used to be, and not what it should be. How can we expect any change if we as God's people do not make it a priority to approach His throne of grace to find mercy and help in time of need.
May we never again experience an event like 9-11. But we know that there are people out there, and within, still trying to destroy this nation. How will we survive without turning back to God!
We live in a confusing time but God will help to lessen the confusion in our lives if we obey His command to pray for... “all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”
CLOSE:
A man took his small son with him to town one day to run some errands. When lunch time arrived, the two of them went to a familiar diner for a sandwich.
The father sat down on one of the stools at the counter and lifted the boy up to the seat beside him.
They ordered lunch, and when the waiter brought the food, the father said, "Son, we'll just have a silent prayer."
Dad got through praying first and waited for the boy to finish his prayer, but he just sat with his head bowed for an unusually long time.
When he finally looked up, his father asked him, "What in the world were you praying about all that time?"
With the innocence and honesty of a child, he replied, "How do I know? It was a silent prayer."
I think the boy was confused what a silent prayer is, but our text today has no confusion in it. It gives us some very specific things to pray about and specific people to pray for.
Because God “desires all men [kings and all those in authority] to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
