First of All Pray—Part 2
1 Timothy 2:3-8
Dr. Roger W. Thomas, Preaching Minister
First Christian Church, Vandalia, MO
Gallagher, the wacky comedian with Sledg-o-matic that he uses to squish all sorts of fruits and vegetables on stage, likes to point out that we humans are a strange lot. He ought to know! Consider his list of human oddities:
Why is it called a hamburger when it’s made out of beef? Why do you put suits in garment bags and put garments in suitcases? Why doesn’t glue stick to the inside of the bottle? Why isn’t there mouse-flavored cat foot?
Why do they lock gas station bathrooms—are they afraid someone is going to sneak in there and clean them?
You tell a man there is 400 million stars and he’ll believe you, but tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it? Why?
If man evolved from monkeys and apes, why do we still have monkeys and apes? Why are there five syllables in the word monosyllabic? When two airplanes almost collide, why do they call it a near miss—it sound like a near hit to me?
Why do banks charge you a non-sufficient funds fee on money they know you don’t have? Why do you drive in a parkway and park in a driveway? Why are they called apartments when they’re stuck together? Why are they called buildings when they are already finished? Shouldn’t we call them builts? If the black box flight recorder is never damaged during a plane crash, why isn’t the whole plan made out of the stuff?
Why? That is probably the most asked and least answered question in the English language!
I would add one more oddity to Gallagher’s list. Perhaps the strangest of all is why we do not pray more fervently than we do? It is not just us. It is something about human nature. Consider Jesus’ disciples. After three years at Jesus’ side, why did his disciples find it difficult to watch and pray with Him? Why is too often prayer our last resort and not our first impulse?
This is the issue that I am speaking to in our Sunday Evening School of Prayer. How can we be a more praying church? How can we build on the vital prayer life that IS there in the lives of many and make it even stronger and greater? How can we discover more of what God has in store for us—if we ask?
Remember these words:
(Eph 3:20-21) Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, {21} to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
He is able! Whatever limitation exists is our side not his? As Jesus told the woman at the well, “If you only knew the gift of God . . . .”
(James 4:1-3) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? {2} You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. {3} When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
How much of our personal and corporate needs exist because we do not ask? Our God has declared himself willing and able to respond to our requests. We have not because we ask not!
Because the Apostle Paul knew and believed in the power of prayer, his charge to Timothy and the church at Ephesus was to pray. We considered the first two verses of our text in our previous study. Let’s review for a moment. 1 Timothy is a book about the church that the Lord wants to build. Listen to Paul’s purpose statement for this letter: (1 Tim 3:14-15 NIV) “Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing you these instructions so that, {15} if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”
To a church challenged by outside and inside pressures, he could have called for many things. But he begins, “I urge, then, first of all, . . . “ What follows is a call to prayer, not as a last resort, but as a first impulse.
We previously noted the four terms for prayer found here: requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving. Together they describe the action of prayer and the attitude of prayer. Paul tells us who to pray for: for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority. Real fervent praying should be done for our friends and family, our church, our neighbors, our town. The list could go. But it also ought to include those we might not otherwise remember: the poor, the lost, even enemies, Jesus taught us. Paul specifically mentions those in authority. In his context, it was not normally democratically elected representatives, but kings and emperors. Surely praying for our leaders ought to come easier. Certainly it is just as necessary.
Only time will tell whether our new leader will be a great leader or not. We don’t have a lot of control over that. But we can, those of us right here in this place—a small town in northeast Missouri, make sure that he is a prayed for leader. We could pledge ourselves as individuals and as a church to pray for that leader every day and every week, whether anyone else does or not. Why? Because we believe that our God is the ultimate ruler. He raises up and takes down the mighty. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We know whether others do or not that our ultimate security as a nation rests in the hands of the Almighty. Our strength is not our might or our wealth, but our faith. Therefore, we pray for our leaders, no matter who they are. We want our leader to be a prayer for ruler.
Back to 1 Timothy 2—why do we pray, especially for rulers? “that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.” The more our leaders are blessed by God the more we are going to be blessed as a people. The more we are blessed with opportunities to live Christ like lives—the more we will be able to influence others.
Why do we pray? Verses 3-7 suggest two reasons. We pray because it pleases God. What at statement: “This is good, and pleases God our Savior” Who wouldn’t want to make God happy. He delights in answering our prayer, just as a parent likes to give good things to their children. He answers our prayers not because he has to, but because he wants to. It pleases him to provide for us. When he does it in response to our prayers it cements our relationship with him. We have reason after reason to give thanks.
We pray because it is part of God’s plan for the salvation of the world. In the days ahead we will example some of the examples of prayer for the lost in the New Testament. Tonight let me just say it clearly—the early church knew that there mission was to seek and save the lost. It was a job too big for mere humans. But it was there God given assignment. The only hope of success was through the help and power of God. That might mean many things—but it begins with prayer. Any church that hopes to be an evangelistic church or a missionary church must first be a praying church. It is a must.
Jesus put prayer and the salvation of the lost together. Listen to his words: (Mat 9:36-38 NIV) When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. {37} Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. {38} Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
Paul made the same connection in (Col 4:2-4 NIV) Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. {3} And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. {4} Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should. “
From our text we learn some important things about God’s plan. This should be no surprise to you. First, God wants people saved. That happens through their coming to hear, understand and believe the Gospel. Our God “wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.” Clearly, Paul knew nothing of a God who only wanted some people saved or certain kinds of people saved. He wants all men (and the word for men is the word for human kind) to be saved.
Secondly, there is salvation no place else than in Jesus because he alone is the sacrifice for sins. He is the mediator, the bridge to God, the savior. “{5} For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, {6} who gave himself as a ransom for all men.” I cannot stress how important this truth is. We are saved not by church or church leaders, by rituals or ceremonies, by our efforts, works, obedience, or good intentions. We are saved by what Jesus did for us on the cross. We must never act or talk as if there is anything more basic than that.
I want you to note one more thing from this text. Who should pray? Obviously, everyone! But Paul is more specific here. He calls upon men to pray. The word here is different than the word in the previous passage. He wants us to pray for all men (human kind) because he wants all men (human kind) to be saved. But here he changes his vocabulary. This is the word for men not women.
Please don’t think I am down playing the role of praying women. In fact I want to emphasis just the opposite. The fact is that generally women tend to be more inclined to pray than men. Maybe Paul’s point is that they don’t need to be told to pray nearly as much as men need to be told to pray. But I know this—show me a church where there is a strong core of men who’s first impulse is to pray and seek God and recognize that they desperately need his provision, and I will show you a church that will accomplish great things for God. Show me a church where the men take care of business matters and material affairs and leave the things like praying and mentoring the young to the women, and I will show you a church headed for trouble.
Women, pray, pray and pray more! Don’t stop! But what we need today and every day is men who will pray and make praying their first impulse, not their last resort. Men who understand that the kingdom of God is about many things, but it is first about seeking God! Note he didn’t say he wanted elders to pray. Men! Not just deacons or missionaries or any other special category of men. God wants men to pray. He wants men to learn to pray. He wants men to begin to pray. He wants men to keep on praying!
Men everywhere—there is no limit on this. It is not men back then, but all men. Not just men in the city or men in the country, but everywhere. There is not one set of standards for Christian priorities in one place and another in a different place. The same God who hears pray from everywhere wants men everywhere to call upon him.
Paul adds some interesting descriptions to his call for men to pray. “I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.” Holy hands refers not such much to the manner of praying—hands lifted high as opposed to hands folded and heads bowed. Praying has very little to do with such things. That is more cultural and social than biblical or spiritual.
His point seems to be more about the quality of life that stands behind the praying. Remember Isaiah’s warning about sin and ineffective praying: (Isa 59:1-2 NIV) “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. {2} But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
Holy hands are unpolluted hands. It is not about physical dirt, but moral and spiritual contamination. Psalm 24 uses the same imagery. Paul may have had this in mind when he penned these words. (Psa 24:1-5 NIV) “ The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; {2} for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters. {3} Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? {4} He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false. {5} He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior.”
The same principle extends logically to the statements about anger and disputing. No angry man can be a praying man. No man who is continually picking a fight or an argument or who harbors ill will against a brother can effectively pray. Remember the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount. He points out that the root of murder is anger; he then makes a connection to coming before God: (Mat 5:21-24 NIV) "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ’Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ {22} But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ’Raca, ’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ’You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. {23} "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, {24} leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”
Real men pray! Praying men come before God with pure hands and with reconciled relationships with their brothers.
There is a link here: effective evangelism requires effective praying which requires effective relationships between men –the same principle applies to women, but they probably know more instinctively than most males do. It is all tied together. Jesus taught the same thing: (John 17:20-21 NIV) "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, {21} that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”
John Bunyan’s classic allegory Pilgrim’s Progress has a powerful scene on prayer and faith. Christian has made his way from the earthly city toward his heavenly home. He has been to the cross and had his burdens lifted. He journeys on toward his eternal destination, learning and growing as he goes. At one point in the journey, he encounters a difficulty. He enters the Slough of Despond. His faith wavers. He is captured by Giant Despair and finds himself imprisoned in Doubting Castle. He sits there depressed and overwhelmed, kept behind bars from which he can find no escape. Finally in desperation, he cries out to God for relief and help. No sooner had he finished praying than he remembered something. He reached in his pocket and retrieved a key—the key of promise. It had been given to him when he started the journey of faith, but he had forgotten. The key had gone unused. He quickly slipped the key into the lock of the dungeon. The tumblers turned and the door swung open. He was free from Doubting Castle and the clutches of Giant Despair. He says to himself, “What a fool I have been. All along I held the key. Even in the midst of my prison cell, I held the key of promise that could have worked my release at any time. But there I sat imprisoned.”
When began our journey to eternity, our Lord gave us a marvelous key of promise. This promise of prayer is for us right here, right now. Let’s use it!
***Dr. Roger W. Thomas is the preaching minister at First Christian Church, 205 W. Park St., Vandalia, MO 63382 and an adjunct professor of Bible and Preaching at Central Christian College, 911 E. Urbandale, Moberly, MO. He is a graduate of Lincoln Christian College (BA) and Lincoln Christian Seminary (MA, MDiv), and Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (DMin).
