"Amazing Prayer” Series

Who do you pray for? What grabs your heart in prayer?

• Is there a social concern that you’re passionate about?

• A ministry direction you’re faithful & fervent in supporting?

• Do friends fill up your prayer list? Have a few enemies on it?

• Ever pray for governmental leaders? The military in Iraq?

• Are you faithfully praying for the needs in your home, in your family, in your church, in your city, your nation, your world?

THE WORLD? I can barely handle my home, let alone my world!

• But see the Lord has already given you the world as your mission field… God loves the people on this planet, in every nation, every country, every language!

Rev. 5.9 And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,

Oh Lord give us a heart for the lost… in every neighborhood, every city, every country! Get us in the game of evangelism!

NOW How about your enemies? Do you pray for them?

• Those that hurt you, continue to defame you, drawing you down, taking you out?

• Pray? I’m supposed to pray for my enemies? I want to destroy them, and hurt them back!

• Oh Yes, I pray for them alright. I go through the psalms and pray like David!!!

Psalm 10.15 Break the arm of the wicked and the evil man; Seek out his wickedness until You find none.

Psalm 58.6 Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD!

PRAYER… our opportunity to talk with the Creator.

• His opportunity to meet us, answer us, inspire us with His heart and His will for those around us.

SO IT SHOULDN’T surprise us to find prayer in this letter written to the young pastor Timothy.

Remember, the aged & seasoned Paul has taken quill in hand to write to his young protégé Timothy…

• This is how the church looks Tim, the goals & guidelines.

• The roles & responsibilities, even the toils & snares.

ANYBODY desiring to serve the Lord would do good to invest their time in the study of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus regularly.

• As we read in CH1, teach Sound Doctrine Timothy and don’t allow anyone to come in with lies and falsehoods.

• Teach, and model, and extend grace through the ministry.

• Point them to Jesus, Love them in their faults & failures Timothy. Don’t give up on anyone… they CAN be changed.

NOTE: Our study a few weeks ago on grace is so foundational to the ministry here. Pick it up if you weren’t here.

Now we come to prayer… the devotional life of the church.

• In the first part of this chapter there is the prayer life, the practice of worship in the church.

• And Paul ends CH2 with the place of women in the church.

I. (2:1-8) Amazing Prayer

1. (1-4) An Exhortation to Pray

a. First of all… Paul says. First of all.

b. This is foundational Timothy. This is fundamental.

c. Don’t skip over this… it’s essential, vital, critical!

d. Be a church that prays. Praying always for ALL men.

Don’t be known for your building… or your outreach, or your social concerns, or your budget, or the size of your growth…

• BE KNOWN FOR YOUR PRAYER that fuels the ministry there!

• And not just prayer inwardly, but your prayer of ALL MEN!

• IN OTHER WORDS… you guys first & foremost are to be a people who pray without ceasing.

And as Paul lists here, there are different kinds of prayer.

• Supplication: requests. We get the idea of continually seeking, asking, knocking, requesting from the Lord.

• Prayers: Idea here isn’t just praying, but EARNESTLY praying.

• Intercessions: to ask, stand in the gap, run ahead and meet

• Giving of thanks: Oh Lord thank you for hearing and being there!

These prayers are to be continually made for who? ALL MEN.

V2 – kings, all who are in authority… Democrats? Yes. Arnold? Yes.

• If you were in New York… Hillary? Yes!

• People that maybe you say I’m not sure they are on my side, or on my level of life, or even those that come against me.

• We are to be people who pray and trust God for the outcome!

CONSIDER WHO WAS ON THE THRONE OF ROME at this time… Nero!

• One of the most violent, anti-Christian men in history

• Paul was praying for Nero, for his salvation, heart change.

• And so a church is praying for those in authority.