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A Prayer for the lost

 

 Sunday, September 2

Pastor Oliver R. Blosser, M.Div., Ph.D.

Faith Community Church

Pipestone,MN.

 

I Timothy 2:1-8   1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;   2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.   3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;   4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.   5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;   6 Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.   7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.   8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

            I Timothy is a pastoral letter written by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to Timothy, a young pastor at Ephesus, in Asia Minor. The second chapter is a charge concerning public worship. It provides instructions concerning how the people of God are to behave in the church assembly. Thus, Paul deals with the most important subject of prayer in the church.

I.  The Priority of Prayer, I Timothy 2:1a

I Timothy 2:1a   I exhort therefore, that, first of all...

            The ‘first of all’ indicates that prayer is the most important thing in the public worship of the church. Prayer in public services is greatly minimized today. It has been stated; ‘Much prayer, much power! No prayer, no power!’ Prayer, indeed, is the source of the church’s power.

            Prayer was as much a part of the apostolic ministry as preaching the Word, Acts 6:4. When the local church ceases to depend on prayer for power, God ceases to bless its ministry.

II.  The Prescription For Prayer, I Timothy 2:1b

I Timothy 2:1b  .... supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made....

            Prayer in our lives becomes a personal choice. Christians must really want to pray, and not pray simply to please people as the pharisees did, Matthew 6:5, or to fulfill a religious duty. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we choose to discipline ourselves to practice the art of prayer.

            There are at least seven different Greek names used for prayer. Four of them are used here;

1.         Supplications; carries the idea of offering a request for a felt need.

2.         Prayers; emphasizes the sacredness of prayer.

3.         Intercessions; means to draw near to a person and converse confidently with him, cf., Hebrews 10:19.

4.         Giving of Thanks; thanking the Lord for answered prayer as well as for who He is and what He does for us in His grace, cf., I Thessalonians 5:18.

Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving are a part of Paul’s formula for God’s peace in our hearts; Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.  And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:6-7.

 

III.  The People For Prayer, I Timothy 2:1c-2

I Timothy 2:1c-2  ... for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

            Christians are to pray for all men. We are to pray for Kings, i.e., rulers in government. Respect for authority runs throughout Scripture. Responsibility to pray for those in authority is also the Christian’s obligation.

            No person on earth is outside the influence of believing prayer. Christians are to pray for the unsaved and the saved, for people near us and people far away, for enemies as well as friends, for Jews as well as Gentiles.

IV.  The Purpose of Prayer, I Timothy 2:2b-4

I Timothy 2:2b-4  ... that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

            Paul’s request that Christians pray for ‘all men’, especially for those in authority is significant. At that time, the godless Emperor Nero was on the Roman throne, and yet the believers were supposed to pray for him, who brought terrible persecution to them. Even when we cannot respect the man or woman in authority, we must respect their offices and pray for them. In fact, it is for our own good that we do so, that we may live a life of quiet and peacefulness, I Timothy 2:2. ‘Quiet’ refers to circumstances around us, and ‘peaceful’ refers to a calm attitude within us. The results would be lives that are holy and honorable.

            To pray this way is good and acceptable in the sight of God, I Timothy 2:3.This is prayer that pleases God. The purpose of prayer is not to get man’s will done in Heaven, but to get God’s will done on earth. God’s Kingdom must come.

            Paul states that it is God’s will for all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth; to salvation through Jesus Christ, our Lord, I Timothy 2:4. This is possible because God loved the world, John 3:16, and Jesus died for the whole world, I John 2:2; 4:14. Jesus died on the cross so that He might draw Ôall men’ to salvation, John 12:32.

            Jews and Gentiles, rich and poor, religious and pagan; the Lord does not want anyone to perish. That is why the Lord is long-suffering with lost sinners, even delaying His judgment that they might come to Christ, II Peter 3:9. Since salvation depends upon a knowledge of the truth, that is why Christians must reach those who have not heard with the Gospel of Truth. Praying for lost souls is the most important thing, which a Christian can do. This is God’s will and God’s grace at work!

 

V.  The Provisions of Prayer, I Timothy 2:5-7

I Timothy 2:5-7  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.

            Many Christian do not realize that prayer is based on the work of Jesus Christ as Savior and Mediator. As the God-Man, Jesus Christ, is the perfect Mediator between the holy God and His failing children. No other person can qualify. Jesus is both God and man, and, therefore, can be the umpire between God and man. In His perfect life and substitutionary death, Jesus met the just demands of God’s holy law. Jesus was the ‘ransom for all,’ I Timothy 2:6. The word ‘ransom’ means ‘a price paid to free a slave,’ cf., Romans 5:8; I Peter 3:18. Jesus said that He came ‘to give His life a ransom for many,’ cf., Matthew 20:28. Jesus is also the Mediator in prayer, cf., Hebrews 4:10; 10:19-20.

            Since the Lord would have all mankind to be saved, He calls messengers who will take the Gospel to the lost. Paul was such a messenger; a preacher (the herald of the King), an apostle (one sent with a special commission), and a teacher (one who makes disciples). The same God who ordains the end (the salvation of the lost) also ordains the means to the end: prayer and preaching the Word!

VI.  The Posture of Prayer, I Timothy 2:8

I Timothy 2:8  I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

            Since the lost are everywhere, so believers are to pray for the lost wherever they may be. It was customary for Jewish men to pray with their arms extended and their hands open to Heaven. Our traditional posture of bowing the head, folding the hands, and closing the eyes is nowhere found or commanded in Scripture. However, the important thing in the Bible is not the posture of the body but the posture of the heart;Êhumility, Luke 18:13-14.

            Finally, Paul states three essentials for effective prayer;

- Holy hands; is symbolic of a blameless, holy life. If we have sin in our lives, then we cannot pray and expect the Lord to answer, Psalm 66:18.

- Without doubting/disputing; the Greek word really means ‘disputing’. When we have anger in our hearts, we often have open disagreements with others. Christians should learn to disagree without being disagreeable. Believers are to do all things without murmurings and disputings.

            Effective prayer means that the Christian is in a right relationship with God (holy hands) and a right relationship with others (without anger or disputing).

Life Application

            Jesus accomplished His work on the cross so that all men could be saved. This is God’s will. Just as the Father sent the Son to a lost world, so the Son sends us to the lost, John 20:21.

            The Lord Jesus did His part and now it is up to Christians to do their part to bring the truth of the cross to every creature, Mark 16:15. Prayer and the preaching of the cross are God’s means to reach the lost.

            The preaching of the cross is bringing the knowledge of the truth to the lost. Since man has free will, prayer for the lost’s salvation aids in their acceptance of the knowledge of the truth and receiving God’s love.

            Therefore, prayer is the most important activity in the church. And praying for a lost soul is the most important activity which a Christian can do! Our text challenges us to pray for the lost around us and around the world. This is the mission of the church in the world.