The PRECEDENCE Of PRAYER-III—1Timothy 2:1-8
Attention:
Communication is vital to any aspect of life.
Maybe you are mute, or know someone who is mute.
Maybe you are deaf, or know someone who is deaf.
The challenges you face every day are mountainous because of such physical ‘hindrances.’ Yet you must, will & have discovered other ways to overcome such odds.
Likewise, if you truly love this God you claim to love, you will do everything in your power to prioritize communication with Him.
Sometimes Prayer(communication with God) does not hold the Precedence that it should!
But it can take precedence again if...we take seriously the way in which we communicate with God.
Need:
Paul exhorted Timothy regarding the place of prayer in the Church.
Prayer must take precedence in the Church.
When does prayer hold authority in the church?
7 priorities for prayer in the Church.
Previously we found that Prayer takes precedence when properly...
1. COMPREHENSIVE(:1a)Multifaceted/Diversified—Beyond limitation
2. INCLUSIVE(:1b) Unhindered(“for all men”)—Beyond prejudice
3. RECOGNIZANT(:2) Recognizing human authority
4. EVANGELISTIC(:3-4)
Today we also find that:
5—Prayer takes precedence when properly...
MEDIATED(:5-6)
Explanation:(:5-6) Monolithic/Indivisible
:5—“For there is one God & one Mediator between God & men, the Man Christ Jesus,
:6—“who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,”
Prayer must be offered up for those in authority because in order for them to properly(by God) fulfill their authoritative tasks/duties, these must come to three minimal realizations: 1)that there is indeed only “one” true “God”(Almighty) & 2)that there is only “one” true “Mediator” Who operates to bridge the gap between God & mankind...to a common recognition of truth, & 3)that this Mediator is recognized as the anointed of God(“Christ”) in flesh & thus their Savior(“Jesus”).
1Jn. 4:1-4—“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, & every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, & is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, & have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
“God”—yeov—A god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities; 2) The Godhead, trinity, 2a) God the Father, the first person in the trinity, 2b) Christ, the second person of the trinity, 2c) Holy Spirit, the third person in the trinity; 3) Spoken of the only & true God, 3a) refers to the things of God, 3b) his counsels, interests, things due to him; 4) Whatever can in any respect be likened unto God, or resemble him in any way.
“Mediator”—mesithv—One who intervenes between two, either in order to make or restore peace & friendship, or form a compact, or for ratifying a covenant; 2) A medium of communication, arbitrator.
“Men”[See :4]—anyrwpov—A human being, whether male or female; 2) Indefinitely, someone, a man, one; 3) In the plural, people; 4) Joined with other words, merchantman.
“Christ”—Cristov—“Anointed”—Christ was the Messiah, the Son of God; Anointed.
“Jesus”—Ihsouv— “Jehovah is Salvation”—Jesus, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind, God incarnate.
:6—“who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,”
This Jesus, the anointed of God, voluntarily “gave Himself” for the sake of “all” men(individuals of mankind). Jesus gave Himself as “a ransom.” He thus paid the total price to redeem all of mankind from personal obedience to sin & thus to the wages of sin(which is death)(Rom. 6. 2:). This is true throughout all ages because Jesus’ “ransom” is Divine, perfect & thereby eternal.
This ransom took place “in due time,” that is, according to God’s schedule it took place at the perfect time.
“Gave”—didwmi—To give; To give something to someone; To grant or permit one.
“Ransom”—antilutron—What is given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption, ransom. Strong—A redemption-price. Used 1X.
“Testified”—marturion—Testimony.
“Due time/Proper time”—kairov idiov— kairov—Due measure; 2) A measure of time, a larger or smaller portion of time, hence: 2a) A fixed & definite time, the time when things are brought to crisis, the decisive epoch waited for, 2b) Opportune or seasonable time, 2c) The right time, 2d) A limited period of time, 2e) To what time brings, the state of the times, the things & events of time. —idiov—Pertaining to one's self, one's own, belonging to one's self.
Argumentation:
Job 9:2-3, 14-16—Job—““Truly I know it is so, But how can a man be righteous before God? If one wished to contend with Him, He could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.”.....““How then can I answer Him, And choose my words to reason with Him? For though I were righteous, I could not answer Him; I would beg mercy of my Judge. If I called & He answered me, I would not believe that He was listening to my voice.”
Job 23:2-7—““Even today my complaint is bitter; My hand is listless because of my groaning. Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments. I would know the words which He would answer me, And understand what He would say to me. Would He contend with me in His great power? No! But He would take note of me. There the upright could reason with Him, And I would be delivered forever from my Judge.”
*Job 16:20-21—“My friends scorn me; My eyes pour out tears to God. Oh, that one might plead for a man with God, As a man pleads for his neighbor!”
Heb. 4:14 -16—“Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy & find grace to help in time of need.”
Ex. 23:1-9—““You shall not circulate a false report. Do not put your hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness. You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice. You shall not show partiality to a poor man in his dispute. If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, & you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it. You shall not pervert the judgment of your poor in his dispute. Keep yourself far from a false matter; do not kill the innocent & righteous. For I will not justify the wicked. And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning & perverts the words of the righteous. Also you shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the heart of a stranger, because you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
God indeed Mediates justice! He does this thru human instruments. He does this Providentially.
Isa. 53:4-11—“Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, & afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed & He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. He was taken from prison & from judgment, And who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; For the transgressions of My people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked-- But with the rich at His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, And the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in His hand. He shall see the labor of His soul, & be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.”
1Pet. 2:24—“who Himself[Jesus] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.”
Heb. 8:6—“But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises.”
1Jn. 4:9-14—“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us & sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, & His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, & He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen & testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.”
1Jn. 2:1-2—“My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, & not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
1Pet. 3:18—“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit,”
Gal. 3:13-14—“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Rom. 5:8-11—“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
*2Cor. 5:17-21—“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, & has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, & has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Eph. 2:4-9—“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Titus 3:3-7—“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts & pleasures, living in malice & envy, hateful & hating one another. But when the kindness & the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration & renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.”
Though God’s forgiveness is available to all, you must personally received it!
Illustration:
Dr. Phil show Fri. June 1, 2012/(Todd)A young man was accused of inappropriately touching his 4-year old daughter, Taniya(his estranged girlfriend had custody)/He was thus denied access to her/He approached Dr. Phil/Discovered the ex-girlfriend’s mother had-it-out for the ex-boyfriend(he had not been kind to his ex-girlfriend)/Dr. Phil got the best-of-the-best(in his professional opinion) polygraph examiner to administer tests on both the mother & father of the 4-year old/Exonerated Todd & held Taniya’s grandmother culpable!/MEDIATED by Dr. Phil
Lawyer represents me before the plaintiffs/
Application:
?Your/Our Prayer take Precedence thru its MEDIATION?
?Prayer take Precedence in OUR Church(local & beyond)?
6—Prayer takes precedence when properly...
APPOINTED(:7)
Explanation: (:7)Set/Ordained/Decided
:7—“for which I was appointed a preacher & an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ & not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith & truth.”
Paul Himself—the writer of this epistle—was “appointed” to proclaim this Mediator(& the manner of His mediation), this Jesus(Savior) the Christ(Messiah/Anointed of God) & this Ransom for all.
Paul’s “appointment” came in the recognizable giftedness & callings by the God-ordained offices of “preacher” & “apostle.” Such offices fall under the umbrella of the purpose of teaching. These represent different aspects of teaching. Paul’s teaching, as a true “preacher & an apostle,” is thereby accomplished “in faith & truth.”
As such, Paul not only is expected to be ultimately truthful, but he is indeed “speaking the truth” to Timothy in this writing. Paul then reasserts the same reality of truthfulness from an opposing negative standpoint...that he is “not lying.” He states both from his position “in Christ,” granting him the credence for his previous premises(:1-6).
Within such a truthful & appointed preaching & apostleship calling, Paul’s calling is further delineated in that it is faithfully & truthfully to be carried specifically to the “Gentiles.” The other apostles preached among the Jews—James, Peter,
Eph. 3:8-12—“To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, & to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities & powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness & access with confidence through faith in Him.”
This verse sets up a transition, which in turn, sets the tone for what follows(:8-15ff). In those verses Paul sets a general gender precedent for the roles concerning men & women in the church & elsewhere.
“Appointed”—tiyhmi—To set, put in place; To make; To set, fix, establish.
“Preacher”—khrux—A herald or messenger vested with public authority, who conveyed the official messages of kings, magistrates, princes, military commanders, or who gave a public summons or demand, & performed various other duties. In the NT God's ambassador, & the herald or proclaimer of the divine word. Strong—A herald, i.e. of divine truth (especially of the gospel).
“Apostle”—apostolov—A delegate, messenger, one sent forth with orders. Strong—A delegate; specially--An ambassador of the Gospel; officially--A commissioner of Christ ["apostle"] (with miraculous powers).
From—apo—1)Of separation & —stellw—1) To set, place, set in order, arrange. ‘One who is set apart’
“Lying”—qeudomai—To lie, to speak deliberate falsehoods; To deceive one by a lie, to lie to.
“Teacher”—didaskalov—A teacher; One who teaches concerning the things of God, & the duties of man.
“Gentiles”—eynov—A multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together—1a) A company, troop, swarm; 2) A multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus, 2a) the human family; 3) A tribe, nation, people group; 4) In the OT, foreign nations not worshipping the true God, pagans, Gentiles; 5) Paul uses the term for Gentile Christians. In the singular is a general term for nation, applied to any nation, even to the Jews. In the plural it ordinarily denotes all mankind aside from the Jews & in contrast with them, the Gentiles.
“Faith”—pistiv—Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; In the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God & divine things, generally with the included idea of trust & holy fervor born of faith & joined with it; Fidelity, faithfulness.
“Truth”[See :4]—alhyeia—Objectively: What is true in any matter under consideration; Subjectively: Truth as a personal excellence—That candor of mind which is free from affection, pretense, simulation, falsehood, deceit.
Argumentation:
Paul’s Appointment to the Gentiles:
Acts 9:10-15—“Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; & to him the Lord said in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” So the Lord said to him, “Arise & go to the street called Straight, & inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. “And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in & putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Then Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, & the children of Israel.”
Rom. 15:14-21 “Now I myself am confident concerning you, my brethren, that you also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another. Nevertheless, brethren, I have written more boldly to you on some points, as reminding you, because of the grace given to me by God, that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. Therefore I have reason to glory in Christ Jesus in the things which pertain to God. For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word & deed, to make the Gentiles obedient-- in mighty signs & wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem & round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ. And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man’s foundation, but as it is written: “To whom He was not announced, they shall see; And those who have not heard shall understand.””
Acts 13:42-49—[in Pisidian Antioch]“So when the Jews went out of the synagogue, the Gentiles begged that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath. Now when the congregation had broken up, many of the Jews & devout proselytes followed Paul & Barnabas, who, speaking to them, persuaded them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; & contradicting & blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul & Barnabas grew bold & said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, & judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad & glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region.”
Integrity:
Job 4:6—“Is not your reverence your confidence? And the integrity of your ways your hope?”
Ps. 7:8-9—“The LORD shall judge the peoples; Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, And according to my integrity within me. Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts & minds.”
Titus 2:1-8—“But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things-- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”
Appointment to:
Bear Fruit
*Jn. 15:16—[Jesus to the apostles @ Lord’s Supper]—““You did not choose Me, but I chose you & appointed you that you should go & bear fruit, & that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.”
Eternal Life
Acts 13:46-48—“Then Paul & Barnabas grew bold & said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, & judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad & glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.”
Eldership
Acts 14:19-23—“Then Jews from Antioch & Iconium came there; & having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul & dragged him out of the city, supposing him to be dead. However, when the disciples gathered around him, he rose up & went into the city. And the next day he departed with Barnabas to Derbe. And when they had preached the gospel to that city & made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, & Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, & saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” So when they had appointed elders in every church, & prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.”
Day of Judgment
Acts 17:30-31—““Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man[Jesus] whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.””
Appointment to:
Personal Tasks:
Acts 22:10—““So I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the Lord said to me, ‘Arise & go into Damascus, & there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do.’”
Complement the Church
1Cor. 12:27-31—“Now you are the body of Christ, & members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.”
Your call to Prayer(s) Appointed/Set/Ordained/Determined of God?
Your prayer appointed for the salvation of many?
Illustration:
Alton Brown’s ‘Good Eats’ TV show on Food Network/I was watching an episode on BBQ/He discussed the history of BBQ/He discussed the various cuts of meat which lend themselves to good BBQ/He discussed various sauces, rubs & preparation methods/He came up with a few cheap(affordable) versions of indirect heat smokers...with a few minor adjustments, even turned his Weber kettle-grill into a smoker!/In that episode, Alton gave the average person an ability to produce a true BBQ/For BBQ it was Properly APPOINTED
Likewise Prayer takes precedence when both you & it are properly APPOINTED of God
Application:
?Your/Our Prayer take Precedence thru its APPOINTMENT?
?Prayer take Precedence in OUR Church(local & beyond)?
7—Prayer takes precedence when properly...
SURRENDERED(:8)
Explanation:(:8) Apropos/Appropriate/Befitting/Compatible
:8—“I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath & doubting;”
Again calling the audience’s attention to the importance of prayer as in :1-6, Paul returns to the subject. This time though he focuses upon the fact that “men”(males) are to be initiators of prayer.
SURRENDER is:
1)HEADED:(“Men”)
“Men” are singled out. Headship strikes forward. Those who pray “adorn” themselves appropriately(:9).
Men as a gender are intended here because “women” are granted specific audience in :9-15.
The “men” are called upon to “pray.” in every official aspect of worship. Used 4 times(Here; 1Cor. 1:2; 2Cor. 2:14; 1Thes. 1:8) in Paul’s writings each referring to the official assembly of the church.—John MacArthur(1Timothy)
In doing so, these “men” are to pray—openly, in corporate worship—but only if they operate within the context of a personal moral fortitude by a life given to God in Christ.
2)UNIVERSAL:(“Everywhere”)
Untainted by prejudice for only his own Church.
3)ANGER Managed:(“Without wrath”)
A disposition which is driven by anger is unbecoming to the Gospel of Christ, particularly if it is fronted publicly. A person with unsettled anger issues is an unforgiving & vengeful person.
4)CERTAINTY:(“Without Doubting”)
Likewise, a disposition which is not settled upon Christ & thus having serious questions regarding the faith, is also unbecoming to the Gospel of Christ, particularly if it is fronted publicly. If someone is unsure of their faith, how will proper doctrine be adhered to? The church would be in a state of confusion as such. It would be a mere religious exercise.
This hints of a potential danger within prescribed worship...that it may involve those who only appear pious or who have been in the past but may have fallen into a backslidden condition. Rather than keeping/recognizing such men permanently as a part of public worship, they should first be ministered to regarding their obvious & particular failure/fault. The church is to be ever attentive to the proper adornment(:9) of the Gospel, particularly as it is publicly experienced/perceived in corporate worship.
Men are to offer prayer for others, for the direction & work of the church & to God as long as they themselves can do such “without” bringing either “wrath” or “doubting” to the public altar.
*Submission to God is both a point in time event(salvation) as well as a daily surrender(sanctification).
“Desire”[See :4 yelw]—boulomai—To will deliberately. have a purpose, be minded; Of willing as an affection, to desire. Has the wider range of meaning, but yelw is the stronger word; yelw denotes the active resolution, the will urging on to action, see Rom. 7:15, while boulomai is rather to have in thought, to intend, to be determined. boulomai sometimes means no more than to have an inclination,
“Men”[See :12]—anhr—With reference to sex; of a male, husband, or betrotheed or future husband; With reference to age, & to distinguish an adult man from a boy; Any male; Used generically of a group of both men & women.
“Pray”—proseucomai—To offer prayers, to pray.
“Everywhere/Every place”—topov—Place, any portion or space marked off, as it were from surrounding space. Indefinite; a portion of space viewed in reference to its occupancy, or as appropriated to itself.
“Lift up”—epairw—To lift up, raise up, raise on high; 2) Metaph. to be lifted up with pride, to exalt one's self.
“Holy”—osiov—Undefiled by sin, free from wickedness, religiously observing every moral obligation, pure holy, pious. used of persons or things, describes that which is in harmony with the divine constitution of the moral universe. Hence, it is that which is in accordance with the general & instinctively felt idea of right, "what is consecrated & sanctioned by universal law & consent"(Passow), rather than what is in accordance with any system of revealed truth.
“Wrath”—orgh—Anger, the natural disposition, temper, character; 2) Movement or agitation of the soul, impulse, desire, any violent emotion, but esp. anger; 3) Anger, wrath, indignation; 4) Anger exhibited in punishment, hence used for punishment itself.
“Doubting”—dialogismov—The thinking of a man deliberating with himself—1a) A thought, inward reasoning, 1b) Purpose, design; 2) A deliberating, questioning about what is true— 2a) hesitation, doubting, 2b) disputing, arguing.
Argumentation:
Rom. 10:6-10—“But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’”(that is, to bring Christ down from above) or,” ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’”(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth & in your heart”(that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Jn. 1:10-13—“He was in the world, & the world was made through Him, & the world did not know Him. He came to His own, & His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
Acts 17:32-34—“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, while others said, “We will hear you again on this matter.” So Paul departed from among them. However, some men joined him & believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, & others with them.”
Rom. 8:3-9—“For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life & peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.”
Rom. 10:2-3—“For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, & seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.”
Js. 4:7-10—“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil & he will flee from you. Draw near to God & He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; & purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament & mourn & weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning & your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, & He will lift you up.”
Lk. 18:9-14—“Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men--extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. ‘I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ “And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ “I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.””
Illustration:
My wife loves plants—Flowers...not cut flowers but potted plants that bloom/She is a sucker for a blooming plant!/She will unashamedly buy a plant that is blooming, bring it home, have me plant it & expect it to bloom next year/The problem is that we have many trees surrounding our house/The majority of our property is covered in trees & trees produce shade!/The vast majority of flowering plants Mom brings home are sun-loving!/They thrive the first year, then they dwindle or die the next year!...
Mary has not properly SURRENDERED her flower-buying prowess to the needs of our property!
Likewise, Prayer only takes precedence when it is properly SURRENDERED!
Application:
?Your/Our Prayer take Precedence thru its HOLINESS?
?Prayer take Precedence in OUR Church(local & beyond)?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Action:
Prayer takes precedence when properly...
5. MEDIATED(:5-6)
6. APPOINTED(:7)
7. SURRENDERED(:8)
1. COMPREHENSIVE(:1)
2. UNLIMITED(:1b)
3. RECOGNIZANT(:2)
4. EVANGELISTIC(:3-4)
Presented 06/03/2012pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
