For Whom Do I Pray? Series

Text: 1 Tim 2:1-8, Title: For Whom Do I Pray, Date/Place: WHBC, 3.18.18, AM

A. Opening illustration: tell the story of Esther

B. Background to passage: after the introduction in chapter one of Paul’s charge to Timothy to confront and correct some leaders in the church at Ephesus, Paul begins to move toward issues in the church. Throughout the rest of the book, we are given truth and instruction about church life that relates to Ephesus specifically and to the church in general. First item up for bidding is evangelistic intercessory prayer.

C. Main thought: three truths about for whom and why to pray

A. All Men (v. 1-3)

1. Paul uses four different words for prayer, not really to emphasize the small differences and emphases of those words, but to express seriousness and urgency. This could possibly be because the wayward elders had taught that prayer was unnecessary or discriminant toward a particular group or kinds of individuals. CAUTION: every instruction that Paul gave to Timothy had a reason, but we are not always able to deduce the exact situation. Paul tell them to pray for all men without distinction. Specifically mentioning kings, we must remember that the emperor in power at that time was Nero, a crazed persecutor of the church. He was encouraging them to pray for the conversion of leaders because it is the right thing to do, and because believing leaders fulfill the function of government more skillfully. They had either become lax, apathetic, bitter, or deceived, and were not praying for those outside the church.

2. Argumentation

3. Illustration:

4. How is your prayer life? This is what we finished on last week with spiritual warfare. However, the prayer here is not battling against spiritual attack and for the proper use of the armor of God. The prayer here is evangelistic and intercessory in nature. “I’ve concluded that feeling guilty about them is a very short-lived and ultimately ineffective incentive for prayer.” -David Thomas. It’s pleasing for us to pray for other’s salvation because God loves people. It’s pleasing to pray for leaders so that a peaceful existence might be a fertile garden for the advancement of the kingdom. A warning, however, if peacefulness comes, which we do live in a peaceful society compared to much of the world, it can also lead to laziness and lack of urgency in prayer.

5. How we pray: Think that it is time that we think less about how bad our prayer life is and move toward how the gospel propels us to think about prayer. If you didn’t read the piece that I sent to you about travailing prayer, please do so. The prayer that touches the heart of God and moves mountains into the sea is founded upon an attitude of brokenness, sense of boldness, and a heart that agonizes over its requests. It looks like Hannah’s prayer of apparent drunkenness for a child. It looks like Isaiah’s resolve to “give (God) no rest” in Isa 62. It looks like Jacob wrestling with God, unwilling to let go. It looks like Jeremiah’s determination to lay hold of God in prayer “as a belt clings to a person’s waist” in Jer 13. According to Heb and Luke, Jesus let loose petitions and fervent cries and tears” over Jerusalem. Luther spoke of attacking God with prayer; Finney spoke of constant argument with God in prayer; Edwards spoke of grappling with God. Spurgeon said, “You must get your battle-axe, and your weapons of war, from the armory of sacred communication with Christ. If you are much alone with Jesus, you will catch His Spirit; you will be fired with the flame that burned in His breast and consumed His life. You will weep with the tears that fell upon Jerusalem when He saw it perishing; and if you cannot speak so eloquently as He did, and yet shall there be about what you say somewhat of the same power which in Him thrilled the hearts and awoke the consciences of men.” And you can receive that empowerment to pray through Christ and the gospel, and only through Christ. The gospel says that when believed, Christ breaks the curse of sin, and you are freed to think the thoughts of the Spirit, for He dwells within you. You are free from prayerlessness, from weakness in prayer, you have been given boldness, as the apostles, to pray with power that brings down the rumblings of heaven. There is no guilt, only grace to them that believe; grace for you to go before the throne boldly until you gain a hearing from the Almighty. Know that this kind of prayer avails much!

B. For Them To Be Saved (v. 4)

1. Verse three mentions a title of God for believers that correlates to his character. God is a saving God. He has a desire that all men in all times of all peoples, tribes, tongues, and nations to come to know Him through Jesus Christ in a personal relationship. He wants men to come to a knowledge of the truth. One of the first verses we memorize captures this truth, “for God so love the world…whosoever believes will have everlasting life.”