1 Timothy 2 - Prayer
10/5/08
Turn with me this morning to the second chapter in the book of 1 Timothy. Timothy in towards the end of the New Testament, in the second half of the Bible. We saw that this is a letter from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, his young protegé. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus to straighten out the problems in the church there. Ephesus was a city filled with idol worship, sexual immorality, and false teachings.
Timothy, though, is a young man and sometimes people in the church did not follow his leadership and give him the respect he deserved (1 Tim. 4:12). Timothy was timid and shy (2 Tim 1:6). He sometimes was sickly, or at least was so troubled by the problems in the church that his stomach bothered him (1 Tim 5:23). The tension in the church had him to the point of giving up. But Paul gives him a letter to encourage him to keep on going.
We saw Paul give three commands to Timothy in chapter 1:
1. Teach Sound Doctrine 2. Preach the Gospel 3. Defend the Faith
Today as we come to chapter 2, we want to look at the role of Prayer. So, as we come to the passage this morning, let’s do what it tells us to do: let’s pray. PRAYER: for God to inspire us to pray
When you get sick, you go to the doctor, who helps prescribe help for you. But we also go to the doctor for something called a “checkup.” Once a year, we schedule a time to go to the doctor, who checks us out: he takes our temperature, checks our weight, monitors our cholesterol, and tells us how we are doing. Today, we want to take a “spiritual” checkup. We want to take an inventory of our lives to see how we are doing in this area of prayer.
There are a lot of Christians who want to read a book to get “3 simple keys to living a godly life” - 4 keys to a good marriage - 3 keys to financial success. We want short, easy solutions for complex problems of life. Often, those who make millions selling those “self-help” books simple restate very simple, basic biblical answers in ways that sound new and intriguing. The reality today is that as we talk about prayer, each one of us here knows about prayer, we just need to be reminded how valuable and important it is in our lives. Paul gives us that reminder here in 1 TImothy 2. Read 2:1-8.
Today as we take a spiritual checkup, let’s consider our prayer lives. The first evaluation:
Is your prayer URGENT? Paul urges Timothy and the whole church to pray. This is something that is for every Christian. You might not be able to sing well or play the piano or give a lot of money, but EVERY Christian can pray, because prayer is simple sharing your heart with God.
The word “Urge” here is really the concept of being called to come alongside someone else. Think back to the Gomer Pyle show: here’s Gomer, taking his good old time, and here is Sargeant Carter, right beside him yelling, Move it, Move it, Move it! Paul is telling Timothy, Pray, pray, pray! He is urging him to pray.
He says, I urge “then” - what does the then mean? In light of the fact that we want to teach sound doctrine, share the gospel, and defend the faith - to do that we need prayer!
So, why don’t we pray? The reality is that even though as Christians we know we can pray and we know we should pray, often we don’t pray. Why not? There can be many answers for that, but it really comes down to the fact that we don’t pray because we don’t think we NEED to pray. We think we can make it on our own; we think we are ok.; we think our problems aren’t beyond our ability to resolve them.
There is a saying that “there are no athiests in foxholes.” What that means is that when you are desperate, when you realize you have no other hope, you cry out to God. When you get desperate, you WILL pray. So when we don’t pray, it is because we delude ourselves into thinking that we really don’t need God’s help. We wouldn’t ever say it in that way, but that’s the reality.
So, take your spiritual pulse this morning: Are you Urgent about praying? Is is a matter of importance to you? Paul says, I urge “first of all” - it was top priority for him. In Acts 6:4 we see it was top priority for the other apostles as well. In the passage where they choose the deacons to care for the food ministry, they say: We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”
They focused on prayer as top priority. In Mark 1:35, we see that prayer was top priority for Jesus. That’s how he started his day: Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.
As you check your spiritual pulse, are you urgent about prayer? Next,
Is your prayer VARIED? We see here several types of prayer. Four different words are used to describe prayer. Did you ever know anyone who told and retold the same stories over and over and over again? it can be a real struggle to sit and listen to them. But that’s often how we pray. We just have a pattern that we repeat -- often even using the same “Christian” phrases - Bless all the missionaries; give us traveling mercies . . .
My dad would always pray the same prayer at every meal. I am thankful for a dad who prayed, but all of us kids could repeat his prayer without thinking. Sometimes he would throw us a curve ball and add an extra phrase, but it was almost always the same. Let’s look what Paul tells us about prayer. He uses the word
• requests - or supplications - this term is the idea of making requests for our NEED or desires. This is the one we are all very good at. We love to ask God for ourselves, for the things we want. It is what we normally think of first. Next though, he uses a gereral term
• prayers - which reminds us of the sacredness of prayer. It reminds us in our prayers to WORSHIP. When we pray, we don’t just ask for things, but we also take time to worship our God. Some of the most beautiful prayers in the Bible are those which just list the attributes of God and remind us how faithful He is. Next,
• intercession - typically we think of this as praying for others, and that is the meaning of the English word, but the Greek word Paul uses has a little bit different emphasis: it is the idea of a confident, relaxed conversation. It is the idea of sharing our HEART with God. We share all our worries, fears, ideas, plans, and take the time to listen to God. Then last, Paul uses
• thanksgiving - which reminds us to remember what God has done and is going to do and to give Him credit. It is the idea of GRATITUDE. It is something we know, but do not do well. Remember the story in Luke 17 - ten lepers come to Jesus to be healed - and all are cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him--and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no-one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
Let’s make sure as part of our praying to stress need, worship, passion, and gratitude. So, on our spiritual checkup, is your prayer urgent, varied, and third
Is your prayer DIRECTED? Paul mentions those we are to specifically pray for. He says we are to pray for kings and all those in authority over us. We are not to just pray for ourselves. His key focus is those in leadership whom we submit to. So, in our day, that might mean: parents, bosses, coaches of your team, policemen, our mayor and city council, our governor, your pastor and elders.
As part of your spiritual checkup, consider this: What percentage of your prayers are directed for yourself? It might be interesting for you some time to keep a journal when you pray and consider how much you pray for yourself and how much you pray for others.
Paul says these various types of prayer are to be prayed for these various leaders. So, do you pray for your leaders needs? Do you pray for them to worship? Do you pray for them to love God intimately and be directed by His Holy Spirit? Do you give thanks for their leadership?
Paul tells us to pray for our leaders, and he tells us WHY we pray for our leaders and not just ourselves.
1. Prayer is good - it is the right thing to do. Even though no one else may do it, we always want to do the right thing. And regardless of who is in power, we need to pray for our leaders. Whether McCain or Obama wins the election, the new president needs our prayers just as President Bush does now. You might say, but what if they are not a good leader? When Paul writes this, Nero is Caesar - the one who burned down Rome. Yet Paul knows it is still his responsibility to pray for Nero. The second reason we pray for our leaders:
2. Prayer pleases God - If for no other reason, that should be reason enough to cause us to pray. The Pharisees prayed to get the praise of others and to impress people. We pray to please God.
3. Prayer brings peace - Paul says we pray so we may lead peaceful lives - lives that have internal peace - they are free from a disturbed conscience. We pray also so we may have quiet lives - external peace - to not be disturbed by outward circumstances. So, to live at peace with others and with ourself, we need to pray for our leaders. When God told Jeremiah that the Jews would be going into exile, he told him in 29:7 - Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” When God blesses a nation, he blesses the people in that nation. We pray for our leaders so we may have peace. And fourth,
4. Prayer is tied to the preaching of the gospel - vs. 4 tells us that God wants all to be saved. So we pray for the gospel to go forth in God’s power. We preach the gospel and pray that others will receive it. Because while it is God’s will for all to be saved, there are many who resist God and refuse to accept His salvation. Some teach that God loves us and wants all to be saved so we will all go to heaven -- but that is far from the truth. They say You worship God, I worship Buddha, but we are all on different roads to the same God. But that is far from what the Bible teaches. Rather, remember John 14:6 - Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.” Or how about Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no-one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Or here in verse 5 - For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
Jesus paid our ransom - the purchase price of a slave. God created man sinless and perfect, but man sold himself to the pleasures of sin. But in salvation, we are redeemed from the power of sin. Sin hold control over us no more. We are free to live for God.
So, going back to our spiritual checkup - Is your prayer urgent, varied, and directed? Next,
Is your prayer PURE? many people pray with impure hearts and motives. Remember the story of the Pharisee and the tax collecter? he prayed, God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. He had a prideful attitude in his prayer. Paul describes 4 attitudes of what our prayer should be like. Check yourself to see how you are doing.
1. Unashamed - Paul says we are to lift up holy hands - this was a pattern in the early church for prayer. It was one of many postures the Bible teaches. It mentions people standing, kneeling, sitting, bowing their head, lifting their eyes, falling on the ground. We can pray in any position. Rather, I think the idea Paul is stressing here is the idea of not being self-conscious about our prayers. To raise your hands in prayer might be a little awkward or embarrassing for some people. Try it now, everyone lift your hands up to God. (WAIT) That wasn’t too bad when we all do it together; but it might make us feel uneasy if we did that out at McDonalds.
I think the idea here is are we more focused on our need to pray and talk with God or are we more focused on who is watching us. Do we pray at restaurants? How about at lunch in school? How about in the breakroom at work? Or are we embarrassed if others see us. We do the quick wipe our forehead, say a two second prayer - God bless the food amen.
If you were shopping at the mall with your family, and one member of your family had a heart attack, you would pray and not worry about who was looking on. So, this goes back to the question of the priority we place on prayer: Do I pray because it is convenient or because I really believe I need to pray? Second, we pray
2. Uncompromised - it says we lift up HOLY hands. The word “holy” literally means “set apart” - God is holy, He is set apart from sin. And so should we be. Remember we are IN the world but we are not OF the world. Are we set apart for God’s service? How committed are we? The Psalmist remins us in Psalm 66:18 - If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. As we pray, we need to pray with our sins confessed, not harboring sin in our hearts.
God doesn’t want Sunday morning Christians who put aside their sinful pleasures for 2 hours on a Sunday morning; He wants followers committed to living for Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
3. Undefiled - we are to pray without anger - not harboring bitterness in our hearts. Acts 8 refers to those who harbor bitterness being captive to sin. Don’t try to pray and hold a grudge against someone. Jesus told us in Matthew 6 - But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. and fourth,
4. Uncontrolling - our prayer is to be without disputing or arguing. Don’t try to argue in your prayers. Did you ever hear someone pray something like this: Dear Lord, help all these people here to see that I am right and they are wrong. Don’t seek to tell God what to do in your prayers. God, if you will just give me what I want ...
Instead, we pray and listen to God. I like the bumper sticker that says, If God is your co-pilot, switch seats. Some people like to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity. They want to tell God what to do. Instead, we want to pray, share our hearts, and hear from God, to be directed by him.
So, how are you doing on your spiritual checkup?
Is your prayer Urgent?
Is your prayer Varied?
Is your prayer Directed?
Is your prayer Pure?
May God help us to honor Him with our prayers this week. Next week, we’ll pick up here and cover the topic of Modesty. Let’s pray.
