E4 - The Pastoral Epistles: Biblical Ministers & Biblical Ministry - The Call To Prayer

You're listening to Key Life Fellowships pulpit Ministry

podcast. We thank you for tuning in as we

learn from God's word together. If you would like more

information regarding Key Life or to speak with one of our

pastors, please visit us at keylifefellow-ship.com.

Lay men, may we, as we have just been reminded in song, may we

remember that the apostle Paul himself realized that he had

been crucified with Christ. Yet he lives because it is in

Christ that we find true life, isn't it?

Aren't you thankful for that this morning?

And you die with Christ. You were buried with Christ and

you have risen to new life in Christ.

Get your Bibles. If you would turn to first

Timothy and the second chapter as we are going to finally get

back to our series entitled Biblical Ministers and Biblical

Ministry. As we have been walking through

the pastoral epistles, beginning with first Timothy, we will then

walk through Titus and then we will walk through Paul's

believed to be the last letter, the letter of Second Timothy.

And we will in those pastoral epistles see instructions and

commands, encouragements to be biblical ministers and to be

biblical ministries, as we are here at church, a ministry of

the Lord Jesus Christ. And in today's lesson, Paul is

going to start in chapter 2 with the first of many instructions

to the church. It's interesting that he's going

to begin with the call to prayer and wants to focus on that.

I want to make great emphasis towards that today because it's

important. And it's especially important in

the church today because Paul is giving us instructions on how to

be biblical ministers and how to be biblical ministries.

And the topic is that he begins with.

It's not how to have a great sounding praise van.

A very melodic worship team, smooth talking, eloquent

preacher, church members who do everything right, elders who

always make the right decisions. He doesn't begin with those

things. What he's going to do is he's

going to begin with prayer. And what a sad testimony to the

modern church that prayer has become so unimportant that we

usually don't have it at the front of the list.

We usually have it at the last of the list.

When everything else hasn't worked, we then attempt to

incorporate prayer. Now there is a sense in the past

is that we're going to look at that.

God is going to tell us through Paul to pray for everyone in

general and that that truth is there.

But I but I don't want you to miss the greater truth here

because in the context what you're going to find out is he

is specifically calling on the church to pray for the

unbelievers, pray for those who lost.

And so when we put it in its context, the thrust of this

passage today. Will be prayer, but it will most

importantly be praying for the unbelievers.

So let us contemplate this today because I can tell you as I have

prepared for this message, much conviction has set into my heart

and in my mind. Though I pray for the lost on

occasion, I don't find myself praying for the lost as often as

I should have. I don't find myself looking at

the situation of those who are without Christ and that bringing

me to a place of prayer and brokenness for their souls.

We're going to see Paul teaches the exact opposite here Today.

He's going to teach us to pray evangelical prayers for the

unbelieving, for the lost, the lost of all social or economical

backgrounds, for the lost of all races, religions, nationalities,

backgrounds, whatever they may be.

He's going to use terms like all men and everyone to describe

them, and he's going to point to the church to pray for them.

And I pray that we would learn this today.

I pray that we would learn to pray for the lost and that we

would respond in obedience to what we are going to learn

today. Praying for unbelievers, though

it is often neglected in today's church, The Church of yesteryear

founded of great importance, the early church founded of great

importance, the Church Fathers walking in obedience to the

commands of the apostle Paul that we'll see today, who

received what he received from Christ himself, found that

praying for unbelievers was an important part of the

Christian's life. Now I don't say this to try to

beat any of you up. I just want you to to really

just examine your life and ask yourself this.

Question. When's the last time that you

prayed for someone who was an unbeliever?

When was the last time that you turned on the news and saw the

chaos around us of the corrupt government officials, our

culture or society that is without Christ and totally

godless? No, no, oftentimes we look at

those things and we in our self righteousness complain about

them. They're over critical about

them. But I'm talking about seeing the

lostness of the unbeliever and then that driving you to your

knees in prayer, pleading to God for their souls.

Because what Paul is going to teach the church here today is

what was passed on to the early church fathers that they echoed

throughout church history. It's important that it's crucial

that we as believers pray for the unbelievers.

In fact, Justin Martyr, you've heard me mention Justin Martyr

many times, who lived between 10165AD, one of the early Church

fathers, He said this, he said we.

Pray for all men everywhere asking that they may come to

know the truth. He says that in his writing

entitled The First Apology, praying for the unbelievers, all

men everywhere, they would hear the truth of the gospel.

Tertullian, another church father, he said this We pray for

all emperors that God may grant them a long life, secure

dominion, a safe home, brave armies, a faithful Senate, a

righteous people and a peaceful world.

The thoughts of Tertullian and praying for the unbelievers

origin is another. And he said this we pray not

only for ourselves but for those who persecute us.

That they may be converted and obtain mercy.

Now, that's not often how we pray for the unbelievers who

hate us, is it? We pray that God would just take

care of them, That God would just remove them from our lives.

That God would just do something about them.

You know the greatest thing that God could do for our enemies,

Save them and make them our friends.

Save them and make them like minded with us as we were like

minded with Christ. The early Church fathers

understood this. Cyprian of Carthage, he said, We

ask and entreat that the mercy of God may be poured upon all.

That's on his in his discourse on the Lord's Prayer that God

would pour his mercy out on all, you say, Well, Kirk, we've read

the end of the book and we know that God's not going to actually

pour his mercy out on all because there are going to be

those who spend an eternity in hell.

And that is true. You don't know who they are and

I don't know who they are. And we are not called to decide

who God gives mercy to and who. He withholds mercy from We are

called to bow the knee, and to bow the head, and to bow the

heart, and to pray for. All men that God would have

mercy on their souls, just as he has had mercy on our John

Chrysostom, he said. This, he said nothing is so

characteristic of a Christian as to pray for his enemies.

I want a thought. Nothing is more characteristic

of a Christian as to pray for his enemies.

How can we come to that conclusion?

Because it's Christ himself who prayed for his enemies.

Can I tell you this, This once enemy of God is now Son of God

Most High because of a prayer that Jesus prayed for me in John

John 17 · chapter mention

chapter 17. Don't you forget that when he

prayed for all those who would believe I was one of those, He

prayed for me, knowing full well that I would spend the beginning

part of my life as a direct enemy of God because of my sin.

Yet in His grace and His mercy, He sought to deliver me and he

petitioned the Father on my behalf.

Augustine Hypo, you're familiar with Augustine, I hope he says

the church prays for unbelievers that they may believe, for

believers that they may persevere.

What a heart of the church Fathers that he would pray for

the unbelievers. And the only prayer that we can

really pray for an unbeliever is that that they would believe.

Won't open their eyes so that they can see.

Forgive them ears to hear and eyes smothered with your salve

that they may see. Give them a heart, a new heart

that longs for you and beats for you.

It's God and God alone who can do that.

And that ought to be the way that we pray for the

unbelievers. Just Paul is going to in these

first 8 verses, give us a call to pray.

Please see the context of it that he is.

Calling on the church to pray for the lost, the unbelieving

and the dying. May we be convicted, may we be

challenged, may we be obedient to that call in our lives as

believers. He says in First Timothy chapter

1 Timothy 2:1

2 verse 1, he says, I urge then first of all, that requests,

prayers, intercession and Thanksgiving be made for

everyone, for kings and all those in authority, that we may

live peaceful and quiet lives and all godliness and holiness.

This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be

saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

For there is one God and one mediator between God and man,

the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom.

For all men. The testimony given in its

proper time and for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an

apostle. I'm telling you the truth.

I am not lying and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

He says in verse 8, I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands

in prayer without anger or dispute.

Let's pray together. Father, in the name of Jesus, we

come to you now. We lift this text to you.

Well, then we ask that your Spirit would teach us today as

we see this text unfold before our eyes, the very word of God

would I pray that we would be driven and urged, as Paul says,

to lift up others in prayer, namely the lost, the

unbelieving. Now that you would teach us how

to do this, You would teach us how to do this effectively.

You would teach us to do this just as Christ did this God.

I now even pray for the lost who may be in this service.

I pray not for their health, their wealth, their prosperity,

when I pray for their soul. Because what profits a man if he

gains the? Whole.

World yet loses his soul. God, I pray for any unbeliever

who is here today that you and you alone, as only you can, do

but shower Your mercy and Your grace and Your forgiveness upon

them, that You would bring them out of darkness and into Your

marvelous life, showing them the depravity of their sin and their

great need for Christ. Lord, I pray that You would be

faithful to save those who call upon You today, as I know you

will. Lord, we'll give you all the

glory for it and I pray for every believer in this room that

they would be moved to be people of prayer who petition the

throne of God on behalf of all those who are in need of Christ.

We give you all the glory and praise in Jesus name, Amen.

So as we examine this call to prayer today, I want you to

really understand what it is really all about, what he is

really saying here. Now go ahead and tell you right

off the bat, there are many verses in this particular text

that get taken out of context quite frequently.

I'm not going to do that this morning, nor.

Will I allow? You to do that, we're going to

look at it in its proper context.

So that we can understand this call for Christians to pray for

the unbelieving, this call for us to pray evangelical prayers,

to pray for the lost souls. If you're going to understand

this, the first thing that you need to take note of is Paul's

approach to this. You're taking notes.

Write this down. Biblical prayer must be a

priority. It must be a priority to pray

for lost people biblically must be a priority.

Watch how Paul phrases this, he said, I urge.

Then watch the next phrase. First of all, he didn't say, I

want you to be great theologians, though that's

important. He didn't say, I want you to

memorize entire passages of Scripture, though.

That's important. He didn't say that.

I want you to be a great minister and servant of God and

everything you do though. That's important.

Before he ever gets to anything involved in ministry, watch what

he says and don't miss this because it has been neglected in

the church for too long, he says.

First of all. That request prayers,

intercession and Thanksgiving be made for everyone, he says.

First of all, you pray. I urge you first of all.

To pray. Paul's calling on the church.

He's calling on the leaders of the church.

He is calling them to pray and to especially pray for the

unbelievers around them. Spurgeon, the Prince of

preachers, said it like this. He said I would rather teach one

man to pray and tend to preach. Oh, let us see the importance of

prayer today. Let us say that we are all

called to bend our knees and humble ourselves and pray on

behalf of the lost and the unbelieving, Spurgeon himself

saying it would be more profitable.

To the Kingdom of God, one man learned how to pray effectively

and for ten men to preach the Scriptures eloquently.

Paul is going to do exactly that same thing and reminding us that

we are to make prayer a priority.

If we're going to do that, we must be devoted in prayer.

Devoted in prayer. That is in obedience to God's

Word, Paul says to the Colossians in chapter 4 verse

two. He says devote yourselves to

prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Then what a sad testimony that comes out of the American

church. You know the fastest way to kill

attendance at church, call a prayer meeting.

There are many people who are devoted to being fed the word of

God. There are many people who are

devoted to ministering to others physically.

But when we call on God's people to be devoted in prayer, there

is a huge deficiency in the American church, is it not?

So we were to pull the congregation this morning.

When is the last time that you petition God for an unbeliever?

I'm not asking you when's the last time that you petitioned

God for your thought need? The last time that you

petitioned God for something that you desired or that you

wanted? Because that's how the American

church has been taught to pray, and that's not biblical.

Prayer. When is the last time you had

compassion? That supermarket clerk who just

by simple expression, in a short conversation, revealed her

losses or his losses. When's the last time that you

went to your car, you prayed for them?

When's the last time that you had that employee that sat next

to you talking about the sexual immorality and the drunkenness

that they participated in the past weekend with no regard to

God and His commands at all? When's the last time that you

didn't look down on them with yourself righteous view down

yourself righteous nose, but you were moved into compassion and

humility and you petitioned to the throne of God on their

behalf. God save them by your mercy.

Save them by their by your grace, because without.

You, Lord Jesus Christ, they are as hopeless as I once was.

There's a deficiency in the church, in our devotion to

prayer, disobedience toward God's Word.

Paul says devote yourselves to prayer.

Are you devoted to prayer? Are you devoted to prayer?

Is it obvious that you're obeying God in regard to this?

Are you devoted to prayer and dependence upon God's power as

you pray? And that's what prayer truly is,

isn't it? And it's most.

Simplified definition, prayer is simply this dependence upon God.

You know why the enemy loves to distract us from praying?

And doesn't he do a great job at it?

He loves to distract us. From praying because when we are

truly on our knees in prayer, we are truly depending upon God.

I can't tell you the countless times.

In my life as a minister, where I've been in my office, I've

been studying the Word of God, and I was prompted by the Spirit

to come into this auditorium that we sit in today to walk up

to one of these containers with these cards here.

We call them redemption cards that have the names of many lost

people, unbelievers that we know and that we.

Love on there. I can't tell you how many times

the Holy Spirit has prompted me to come in to take these cards

and to kneel before the Father and to petition these

unbelievers on His behalf. And before I make it to this

door, it's probably only 12 feet.

Someone drops by unexpectedly. 30 text messages go off at the

same time. 15 phone calls come in.

And all of a sudden the enemy is distracting me from that which I

need to do, and that is to be devoted to praying for the

unbelievers to take that time to throw that phone away and to get

on my face before a holy God and petition Him for their soul.

Crying out to him to show them mercy, dependent upon him and

him alone to save them. Why is that important?

Because he's the only one who can save them.

He's the only one who can save them, and if I'm not praying for

the lost people, I'm not trusting God to save the lost.

You trust God to save the lost you.

Simply put, if you're not depending upon God in your

prayers, you aren't depending upon God.

That is the avenue to which He has given us to show our

dependence upon Him. Remember what the Lord had

taught our Father, which art in heaven.

Hallowed be Thy name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day Our Daily

Bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors, and

lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For thine is a Kingdom of the power and the glory forever.

Amen. Why did the Lord give us that?

To teach us how to depend upon Him that entire model prayers

about depending upon God in and through prayer.

Now let's take that in context of what we're going to see Paul

teaching here today. It is praying and depending upon

God to save the. Unredeemed.

Are you devoted in prayer? He says.

First of all, make this a priority.

Put it where it belong. We fail as evangelist if we go

and share the gospel without it first being bathed in prayer.

We are simply depending upon our words to convince people instead

of depending upon a sovereign God to save them by His mercy

and His. Grace every Saturday we have

outreach groups that go out from this church to share the gospel

in the community and I've been there and experienced it with

them prior to ever leading leaving.

We joined together and we petition God for those who we

will come in contact with that God would have mercy on them

simply depending upon him. Are you devoted in your prayers

for the unbelievers? Depending upon God, devoted in

prayer, but also diverse in prayer.

Watch what he says here, he says.

I urge them. First of all, there's that

priority, that utmost devotion, he says.

First of all, that request prayers, intercession and

Thanksgiving be made for everyone.

So we see that we're to be devoted in prayer, but we're to

be diverse in prayer. What do I mean by that?

We are to pray all kinds of prayers on behalf of the

unbelievers. Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18

Ephesians 6:18

Paul says and pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds

of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and

always keep on praying for all the Lord's people with.

All kinds of prayers and requests.

There are many variations of how we should pray for others.

That stands also true for the unbelieving world.

He uses the term here request that we see in the English.

The Greek word has a distinct meaning.

It means a specific need presented to God that otherwise

would not or. Could not be met.

For instance, salvation. Only God can save.

So if we have a burden for someone who is unsaved, why

would we not take this request to the throne of God and to

plead for their soul before His throne of grace?

That ought to be our natural response as believers to make

that request known. God, I can't save this person.

The person next to me can't save this person.

Billy Graham couldn't save this person.

Lord, only you can save sinners, he says.

Make requests on behalf of all. Kinds of men of everyone that

God would do what only God can do in their life.

God would save them as only He can.

Secondly, he says prayers, and this is a general word, a

general term. In reference to prayer, he's

saying that this is general trust or a general calling upon

God and dependence upon Him. This is our daily prayers where

we're depending upon God. He's saying in your daily

dependence upon God, depend upon Him to save souls.

Let me just ask you this church, is he faithful to save the lost?

Did he go to the to the extreme and do beyond even what we can

comprehend in our human minds to rescue the lost?

Then shouldn't we pray, trusting in the fact that He is able and

willing to save the lost? Of course we should, he says,

request prayers, and then he says intercession.

Oh, this is where it gets really interesting and really amazing

to me. The Greek term here for our

English term intercession, means to fall in with someone.

It means to get on the same page.

With someone, and when we talk about interceding for the

unbeliever and we understand that that term means to fall in

with someone, let me just remind you of a couple of facts #1 the

holy. Spirit is interceding for us.

Constantly with groans that we can't even understand is what

Paul said. Not only is the Holy Spirit

interceding on our behalf, Christ himself lives to

intercede for us. That's what scripture says.

And so when we begin to intercede for the unbeliever, we

are literally getting on the same page we are falling in

with. The Holy Spirit and his

intercession, and the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ in his

intercession. We are.

Finally, praying for the lost in accordance to the will of God.

We are praying in agreement with God's intercession as God

intercedes on behalf of those who need Christ.

We are joining in with Christ and with the Holy Spirit and we

are doing the same. What an honor and a privilege

that we miss out on when we don't intercede for the lost.

Pleading for the soul. Trusting in God and God alone to

save them. Praying with the same empathy,

the same compassion, the same zeal, the same fervor as both

the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Continually pray to the Father with what a privilege that is

that we would be called. To intercede.

That is exactly what praying in the Spirit is for all the

charismatics. You want to distort it and to

make it into something that it's not.

For all the Pentecostals you want to twist the scriptures to

fit your agenda. Praying in the Spirit is simply

praying in alignment with the Holy Spirit.

It is falling in with someone. When you pray in the Spirit, you

intercede on their behalf. Can I just tell you today that I

stand here before you, first of all because Christ was merciful

to me, gracious to me beyond anything that I can even begin

to imagine. Can I also tell you that there

were others who fell in with the Spirit as He prayed on my

behalf, namely my grandmother who diligently prayed for me,

and not just me only, but all of her unbelieving grandchildren

and children. And yes, I stand here today

first and foremost because of Christ.

I would never take that glory away from Him, but I am thankful

that in His mercy and His grace, He raised up a woman who would

be devoted to praying for this unbeliever who interceded,

joined in with the Spirit, with the Son, with the Father,

joining in with the Triune Godhead in agreeance for my

soul, praying with that compassion and zeal Christ

prayed with. We need to be diverse in our

prayers, praying with all kinds of prayers for the lost, request

prayers, intercession, and then he says Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving. Well, that's a simple term that

we all basically understand. Gratitude and praise to God on

behalf of others. I know it's difficult in our

self-righteous pharisaical mindset sometimes in

Christianity to learn to pray with Thanksgiving for lost

people who come into your life. I pray that you would learn that

because it is a great blessing when God draws your attention to

that lost person. To take the time and to say

thank you Lord, for their lives. Thank you one, that they are

living and that they are still living.

And because they are living and they are still living, there's

hope for them. And that hope is found in the

gospel. Thank you that they still have a

breath in their body. That reminds me that I don't

need to stop praying for them. Thank you that they do have

something in their lives to offer God when they are

redeemed. Thank you that I I have seen the

qualities that you've already placed in them.

Now redeem those qualities for your purpose.

Redeem those qualities for your glory.

Thank you, Lord, even for the unbelievers.

They're just as much a part of your sovereign plan as

everything else. Lord, I pray that you would

bring them in salvation, showing them mercy, forgiveness, so that

others will see your kindness to the lost, Your kindness that

brings them to repentance. So he calls us to be diverse in

prayer, praying all kinds of prayers, right?

It's not as simple as Lord just help all the lost.

Oh Lord, my Co worker Joe, who's going through a divorce and he's

going through a divorce and he's going through his third divorce

because he's trying to do this thing on his own his entire.

Life. And he's given no regard to you

and to your word. He's never surrendered to

Christ. Lord, I lift Joe to you.

I don't look down on Joe. He's doing exactly what lost

people do, exactly what I would have done had you not rescued

me. And Joe needs to be rescued.

I thank you for our friendship, and I think about how great that

friendship could be if you were to save Joe, bringing him into

fellowship with you, Lord Jesus, and with the Father through the

Holy Spirit, and into fellowship with me as a member of your

church, Lord save Joe. All kinds of prayers, not just

some blanket statement at the end of your prayer.

And Lord, save all the lost. Now be diverse in your prayers,

all kinds of prayers. But then he goes on and he says

this not only all kinds of prayers, in regards to being

diverse in our prayer, all kinds of people, he says.

I urge him first. Of all that request.

Prayers, intercession and Thanksgiving.

Those kinds of prayers be made for everyone.

For everyone now, you nor I will have the opportunity to pray for

every single person that exists in this world, but we will have

the opportunity to pray for all kinds of people in our lives.

That's what he's talking about. All kinds of people, everyone.

Unbelievers of all kinds. This is important.

Why? Because God desires to save

unbelievers of all kinds, it is His will to rescue people from

every people group. In fact, Genesis chapter 22

Genesis 22:18

verse 18, reiterating His promise to Abraham, He says this

and through your offspring, all nations on earth will be

blessed, because you have obeyed me.

He promises a blessing to all the nations of the earth, every

kind of person. How diverse is that blessing?

And our prayer ought to be that diverse.

Why? So we don't fall into the trap

of just praying for our own kind, our own family, our own

friends. We devote ourselves to diversity

and prayer, praying for all kinds of people.

Isaiah 49, six, it says. He says it is too small a thing

for you to be my servant, to restore the tribes of Jacob and

bring back those of Israel. I've cut, so I'm not going to

stop there. I will also make you a light for

the Gentiles that my salvation may reach to the ends of the

earth. It is God's desire that His

salvation reaches to the ends of the earth.

Now the ends of the earth is not geology or geography.

Excuse me? But it is anthropology, it is

the fact that the gospel is to go out to all kinds of men, to

everyone, everywhere, just as the Lord commissioned the

disciples to go and to make disciples of all nations.

And the joy of this is knowing what happens in the end.

And, you know, we get a glimpse of the end there in Revelation

Revelation 5 · chapter mention

chapter 5. Revelation 59.

Here's what it says. And they sang a new song,

saying, you are worthy to take the scroll and to open its

seals, because you were slain. And with your blood you

purchased men for God. Persons from every tribe and

language and people and nation. What is he talking about?

A diverse group of people from every tribe, every people, every

tongue, every nation. And so you know who we ought to

pray for? Everyone.

People of all kinds, as Jacob announced a moment ago, Joe

Hendricks men and his wife Amy are next door and enriched.

They were here in our first service.

They are visionaries that we as a church support in Oaxaca,

Mexico we're to praise specifically.

For those that Joe comes in contact with in Mexico that they

will come to know Christ. Why?

Every tribe, every tongue, every people, every nation.

That is God's will. And if we are praying for people

from every tribe, every tongue, every people, and every nation,

we are now finally praying for the lost in accordance with the

will of God. But if you only pray for your

sister who's lost or your aunt who's lost, and yes, they need

prayer and yes, pray for them. But Paul doesn't leave it there.

He's saying be diverse in your prayers for the.

Law, Everyone, everywhere. The American church has failed

at this long enough. So self absorbed, so

self-centered. Let us put a halt to that today,

at least here at Key Life Fellowship.

Let us say that we are going to make prayer for the unbeliever a

priority. Why?

Because the Word of God says first of all.

First of all, before we do anything else that we may pat

ourselves on our religious backs about church, let us drop to our

knees. Let us make requests and prayers

and intercession and Thanksgiving for everyone, for

everyone. Without exception, all kinds of

people, biblical ministers and biblical ministries will make

prayer a priority. They'll be devoted in prayer.

They'll be diverse in prayer. Secondly, we are going to submit

to this call to prayer for the unbelieving.

Not only must it be a priority, it must be without prejudice.

Must be without prejudice. Watch what He says next.

He says for kings and all those in authority, that we may live

peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be

saved and to come to a knowledge of.

The truth Here's what Paul is saying here.

Paul knows that it's easy for us to pray for those that we love

and those who love us. Those who are in our family,

those who are our friends. But he's now going to call the

church to pray for unbelievers who potentially hate us.

We bring persecution in our life.

It calls us to suffer. And he's refusing.

And he's wanting the church to refuse to show any prejudice and

how they pray for the unbelieving, but to simply see

all unbelievers as what they are, you know what?

They are lost, and to see them as lost, lost souls who are in

need of God's mercy through Christ Jesus.

That's it. We need to pray for them without

any kind prejudice, praying without discrimination at all.

Praying for all unbelievers, not just those who are easy to pray

for. Please note what he says here

for kings and all those in authority that we may live

peaceful and quiet lives and all godliness and holding.

He's saying pray for the Romans that are in authority over you.

They're in Ephesus. That's where they are.

Those who are bringing persecution into your life, pray

for them. Pray that God would change their

heart, that God would draw them out of darkness and into light,

that Christ would save them by his precious blood.

Pray for them. Why?

Because this is good, and it pleases God our Savior, that you

do this. That you would pray even for

your enemies. And then he says, who wants all

men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth?

Now we have some theological problem here sometimes, don't

we? There are many people who like

to take that one little verse in that section, that verse out of

context and see there and, and to say see there.

Those of you who adhere to the doctrines of grace, those of you

who believe in God's sovereign salvation, that no one is saved

apart from His grace alone and is all His grace that saves

them. Those of you who believe that

God has mercy on who He has mercy and He judges those who He

desires to judge, see what about that verse when we see it in its

context, who wants all men to be saved and to come to the

knowledge of the truth? It hasn't changed.

They're in the context. He's still talking about all

kinds of men, The examples that he uses here, kings and those in

authority, that'd be the enemies to the church in Ephesus that

he's writing to, and he's saying this to them.

I even desire to save people from among Roman emperors and

Roman authorities. I can save whoever, whenever I

choose to save them. So don't think for a second that

this verse out of context is going to somehow cancel all of

the teachings on the doctrines of grace throughout Scripture,

because that's not the case. And we see it in its context.

What does it do? It reminds us that he's teaching

them to pray without prejudice, to pray without discrimination.

He's saying don't just pray for the people that you like.

Don't pray for your fellow Jews. Even your fellow believing Jews

don't. Pray for your fellow Gentiles.

Pray also for the Emperor himself.

Pray for the emperor himself that God would break him and

bring him to his knees. Isn't it interesting how we in

America forget this? We watch the news, we see the

opposing political side who many times is very lost and without

Christ. It's obvious and.

Instead of petitioning God for their soul, we basically have

the attitude, let them go to hell and they'll get what they

deserve. Aren't you thankful that that's

not what happened to you? I can tell you this, if I would

have spent an eternity in hell, it would have been exactly what

I deserved. You know what we ought to do is

we ought to petition on behalf of kings and those in authority.

Even if they're making our lives miserable.

Even if they're passing laws that we don't agree with.

Even if they are passing legislation that allows people

to kill unborn babies and homosexuals to marry as

heterosexuals are called to marry.

Even if it's what we don't like, shouldn't we pray for them?

Shouldn't we pray for their soul?

Because surely anyone who votes for same sex marriage, Surely

anyone who votes to kill unborn innocent babies, surely anyone

who votes to emasculate children and make them into something

that God never intended for them to be, Surely they're

unbelievers. But what we ought not do is just

to cast them into hell. Why?

It's not your job to cast people into hell.

But it is your job to pray for their soul God, that you would

change the souls of our lawmakers, that you would change

the souls of those who are in authority, yet you would change

the souls of the kings. That you would redeem them, that

you would rescue them, that you would save them as only you can

do. Or we're beginning to see how to

pray as a true believer. Now, aren't we praying without

discrimination? Not just those that are easy to

pray for. Pray for all kinds of men.

Why? Because God desires to save all

kinds of men. He desires to save blue collar

workers, white collar workers, politicians, non politicians.

He desires to save plumbers. He desires to save Jews.

He desires to save Gentiles. He desires to save Barbarians.

He desires to save Romans. He desires to save pagans.

He desires to save save the rich.

He desires to save the poor. He desires, desires to save men

from every type of man. God wants to save unbelievers.

How do we know this? He sent His only begotten Son to

prove and to demonstrate His love for us and that while we

were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Pray for those who are still sinners that they would see the

love of God that was displayed in Christ and that they would

repent and turn to Christ as the only hope of salvation that any

of us have. Should pray without

discrimination. About any prejudice, even

praying for our enemies, Can you believe that he would call the

Ephesians to pray for the Roman authority?

Those who persecute them and make their life miserable, those

who mock them because they won't indulge in Pagan sacrifice and

Pagan sexual immorality. Can you believe that he would

even call on them? To pray for those kinds of

unbelievers, they're enemies. Is that not what Jesus commands

us to do? Well, you heard the scripture

reading this morning and Matthew chapter 5, verse 43, you have

Matthew 5:43

heard that it was said, love your neighbor and hate your

enemy. But I tell you, love your

enemies and pray for those who persecute you.

You have heard love your neighbor and hate your enemy

that it's OK. Americans were inundated with

this, aren't we? Anybody who's an enemy to

America, we need not even pray for them.

Wrong. We can look at the headlines

just recently, all the chaos and all the things that are going

on. Christian, are you moved to pray

for souls? We've all seen footage of a

Venezuelan leader and his wife taken from their home and we all

have opinions about it. We all have to get caught up in

discussing our opinions. You know what we ought to do?

Someone who can be so wicked and so vile obviously is lost.

Have you bent the knee one time to pray for that man and pray

for his family? Have you even thought about it

like this? Perhaps God and his sovereign

plan brought them to the United States.

So in that penitentiary in New York, they'll hear the gospel

where it's still legal to hear the gospel and to preach the

gospel and to be saved. Oh no, in order for us to think

about those things, we would actually have to think

biblically, and then we would start praying biblically,

wouldn't we? Without discrimination as Jesus

did, praying for his enemies. He said, you've heard that it

was said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who

persecute you. That's where Paul got this from.

Pray for those who persecute you.

Why? That you that you may be

children of your Father in heaven.

He causes his Son to rise on the evil and the good, and sends

rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

What is he saying there? He's compassionate to all His

general love and his general grace falls upon everyone.

Pray in general that God would shower His grace and His mercy

upon that lost. Soul that he has prompted you to

pray for in doing so you reflect Christ.

He goes on and he says if you love those who love you, what

reward will you get? Speaking common sense here.

I love that Jesus spoke common sense.

You won't get any reward. There's nothing in that, not

even the tax collectors doing that.

So the tax collectors love those who love Him.

And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more

than others? You're not even pagans do that.

Then He says be perfect. Therefore, as your Heavenly

Father is perfect, what is He saying?

Have compassion on all. And if you truly are having

compassion on all, you will be praying without discrimination,

even if they are on the opposite aisle of your political lean or

your political agenda, even if they don't agree with you on

certain topics, they pray for their soul without

discrimination, without any prejudice at all.

You'll even pray for those who hate you or even harm you.

Luke chapter 23 the Lord Jesus and statement that every time I

Luke 23 · chapter mention

read it, it grabs me with great intensity because I'm so far

from being able to pray anything of the.

Sort, but I pray. Lord teach me to pray like this,

it says in Luke 2334, Jesus said, Father forgive them for

they do not know what they're doing.

They divide it up his clothes by casting launch.

What was going on here? Well, they just tortured him and

they just beat him, and they just stripped his clothes from

him. And you know what they're doing?

They're now gambling for his garments.

Oh, I would to God that I would pray for unbelievers in such a

manner. Father, forgive them for they

know not what they do. Jesus even praying

undiscriminately toward his executioners, praying that the

Father would exercise forgiveness and mercy on their

behalf or must be without prejudice if we're going to pray

biblically for the unbelievers, praying without discrimination,

but praying with sincere desire. Now, let me help you with this,

why I say this and why I believe that Paul wants us to know this.

When we pray for the lost, let us pray with a sincere desire

for them to be saved. I don't want anyone today to

simply just begin to pray for lost people because you've been

told that's what you're supposed to do.

But I do want everyone to pray for lost people with an earnest

desire for them to be saved. But don't be like Jonah, right?

You remember Jonah, he sends him to Nineveh.

Go priest. There's going to be a revival.

Jonah didn't want to do it. We know the story. 3 days and

three nights in the belly of a fish was speed up on the beach.

Eventually went to Nineveh because that was God's will.

Jonah. Jonah goes to Nineveh and

preaches one of the greatest revivals in history.

They're in the capital of Syria. And then what happened?

Jonah gets upset about it, doesn't he?

He gets upset about it because he knew that God was full of

compassion and God was full of mercy.

Listen, don't pray for unbelievers and then get upset

about it when He saves them because you want them to have

some kind of justice in this life.

No, Pray that He freed them from justice and the life to come.

Pray that He lift His wrath off of them and that wrath be placed

on the back of Christ. Pray that they'd be saved

because of God's mercy and disgrace toward them, just as

He's been merciful and gracious toward you.

Pray truly and sincerely, desiring that they will be saved

without prejudice, desiring salvation instead of judgment,

even for the wicked and for the vile, because isn't that what

you received? I can tell you this, a man who

was once wicked and vile stands before you and I look out at a

congregation of people who were once wicked and vile That God

has had mercy on her soul was pray with sincere desire that he

would have mercy on others. Ezekiel 3311 says, say to them

as surely as I live, declares the sovereign Lord, I take no

pleasure in the death of the wicked, rather that they turn

from their ways and live turn turn from your evil ways.

Why will you die? People of Israel, you know what

God was desiring there as he's communicating through Isaiah

that these people turn from their wickedness and that they

turn to Him. He finds no delight in the death

of the wicked. That's for all the people who

think that God just somehow sadistic and up in heaven.

And when people who didn't acknowledge him and remained in

their wickedness passed from this earth, he says, aha.

Now you get to go to hell finally.

It's not as hard at all. Grieves him that his creation

would have fallen to rebellion to begin with.

He's gone to great lengths and to great extremes to redeem many

from that creation through Christ.

So you don't be opposite of that.

And you're looking at the unbeliever, hoping that they

perish, hoping that they get what they deserve.

I've heard people say that all the time, right?

They'll hear some story about a serial killer.

I hope he goes to hell and he gets what he deserves.

I hope he doesn't. I don't wish hell on anyone.

Why? Because my Heavenly Father does

not delight in the death of the wicked, nor shall I.

I pray that God would turn His heart toward Him.

He would exchange that old filthy heart of stone for a

heart of flesh. That He would raise up a man of

God, even from the dredges of society, to show the power of

His grace and His mercy. Maybe pray like that sincere

desire for that person to be saved, sincere desire that we

see in the Apostle Paul in Romans chapter 10 where he says,

Romans 10 · chapter mention

brothers and sisters, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the

Israelites is that they may be saved.

He was grieving because of unbelieving Israel.

He was. Praying that their that their

hearts would be changed, that they would be saved, He said.

It is my desire. It is my prayer.

His desire was sincere. In fact, when you read on, you

realize how sincere his desire was.

You know what he was willing to do if possible.

Forfeit his own salvation so that his brothers of Israel

would be saved. What a prayer, what a prayer.

Just say, you know what? I would lose my own salvation if

it meant the salvation for my people.

What a heart. What a true desire for people to

be saved. When's the last time that you

approached praying for an unbeliever in that manner?

Lord, I would give it all away, all the mercy, all the grace,

all the forgiveness, all the eternal life, so that this

person who is bound for hell could be saved.

Where's that heart? Where's that attitude in the

church? We see it in the Apostle Paul.

We see it in his writings here, teaching us to pray with sincere

desire, without prejudice, no discrimination at all, desiring

that the same grace that we have been shown, the same grace that

we have received, would be exercised upon others.

American Church, listen, we should never want anyone, not

anyone in this country, not anyone across the globe.

As Third World and as Pagan as they may be, we can never let it

be our desire that they just go to hell simply because they

deserve it. We should forgive as we've been

forgiven. And if you desire that someone

should go to hell simply because you've deemed that they deserve

it, how much more do you deserve it?

Let's be moved to pray for those who are bound for hell.

Biblical ministers. Biblical ministries, according

to what Paul's teaching here, they'll be doing just that,

praying for unbelievers with unbiased hearts, refusing to

only pray for those that it's easy to pray for, those they

approve of or those they like, or those who show some kind of

potential, or whatever the case may be true.

Biblical ministers and biblical ministries will be praying even

for those who persecute them without prejudice in their heart

toward the middle. Thirdly and lastly, seeing this

call to prayer, we've seen this must be a priority, must be

without prejudice. It must be with a purpose,

purpose, what he defines for us, the purpose.

Next, he says in verse 5, and this is no accident or

coincidence that he throws this in here.

He's telling the people to intercede on behalf of the

unbelievers, and he's going to. Remind them of this says in

verse 5. For there's one God and one

mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave

himself as a ransom for all men the testimony given in its

proper time. What is the purpose of our

prayer? To point them to the true

mediator. We intercede on their behalf so

that they can see the one who has interceded for them and will

intercede for them for all eternity.

Christ, he goes on, he says, and for this purpose I was appointed

a herald and an apostle. I'm telling the truth, I'm not

lying, and a teacher of true faith to the Gentiles.

What's going on in the world of the Apostle Paul here?

He's saying this. My job, my purpose is to pray

for the unbelieving Gentile believers that they may see

Christ and see him for who he truly is.

Pray for the unbelieving among us, he says.

I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands and prayer without

anger or disputing. What was Paul doing it?

Paul was instructing purposeful and intentional prayers.

He is telling the people and reminding the people that you

must pray, pointing these people to Christ, whether they are Jew,

whether they are Gentile, whoever they are.

He says, now understand I've been called to the Gentiles and

so I'm going to share the gospel with the Gentiles.

I'm going to pray for the Gentiles.

That is my role. You do likewise pray for

everyone, as I pray for everyone and as Christ the Mediator saves

those who. Believe, do with purpose,

purposely pray for the salvation of those who are perish you.

Let me just ask you this professing Christian, do you

know an unbeliever? In fact, let me ask you this, if

you do not know an unbeliever in your life, at least one raise

your hand none. So I ask you this, are you

purposely? And intentionally praying, even

if it's that one unbeliever, are you praying that they would see

Christ, their only hope, the only mediator between God and

man? He's not calling here for

needless babbling, right? In fact, Jesus condemns that

Matthew chapter 6 verse 7 when he tells us not to pray and to

Matthew 6:7

keep on babbling like the pagans who think they'll be heard

because of their many words. He's saying this purposely.

Pray for the lost, that they would be saved.

Call them by name. Name them.

You know them, you are acquainted with them, you are

family members of some of them you are Co workers with.

Some of them. Now be purposeful and

intentional in your prayers, praying for the salvation of the

perishing. There's only one way to

salvation, isn't there? That is Christ and so we should

specifically be praying that God would open their eyes to see

their need for Christ because without Christ they perish.

Thomas Watson said this. He said pray that God will

soften their hearts. Speaking of the unbelievers, the

work is his though the prayer be thine.

He says our job is to pray. The work of softening the heart

of the unbeliever, that's God's job, and he will do that in

Christ, and he will do that far better than we can maybe do

that. Maybe pray for the lost.

With a purpose and that purpose being their salvation.

This is modeled throughout the Scriptures.

If you'll think back with me for just a moment, those who would

have prayed for the lost or the ungodly or the unbelieving, we

go quickly in our minds hopefully to Genesis chapter 18,

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

Genesis chapter 18, there in verses 22 through 33, you know

Genesis 18 · chapter mention

what you see? You see Abraham and you know

what he's doing. He's praying for a bunch of

sexually immoral homosexuals in Sodom and Gomorrah.

You know what he's not doing? He's not saying let all the

homosexuals there in Sodom and Gomorrah go straight to hell

because they deserve it. You know what he is doing?

He's pleading with God. God, if there were just 50,

surely you would save them. God, there was just 45.

Surely you would have mercy on these immoral people.

Surely, maybe we could find 40. God surely 30.

And then 20 and then 10. Surely for 10 you won't destroy

these people. What was Abraham doing?

He was petitioning a God of mercy.

Oh, let us learn something from that instead of condemning the

lost. They're lost.

That's what they do. Lost people things just as you

did when you were lost. Instead of sitting around in Fox

News watching the TV and complaining about the lostness

of the of the lost, instead, why don't you close your eyes and

bow your head and bend your knee and humble yourself before God

and plead for the very souls of the lost people that you see on

the screen. Because.

That's what Abraham would do and that's what Jesus would do.

What about an Exodus 32 where we see Moses doing the same?

He prays for idolatrous Israel, interceding on their behalf.

Lord, save them. Don't exercise your judgment

upon them. Lord, have mercy on them.

Go back and read it. How is he approaching God on

their behalf? Prayer.

Why were they in the condition that they were in unbelief?

What did Moses desire? That God would bring them out of

their unbelief and bring them in to believe?

And he prayed for them. What about Samuel?

In first Samuel chapter 12, verses 19 through 23, he's

1 Samuel 12:19–23

praying for sinful Israel. Israel who was always bent to

rebellion, it seems, just like us.

What does Samuel do? He doesn't say, God just wipe

them from the face of the earth because they're stubborn and

they're obstinate. They're immoral.

I plea, please, for God's mercy, God's restoration, God's

healing, God's forgiveness. What about Jeremiah?

Jeremiah chapter 14, where Jeremiah intercedes for

Jeremiah 14 · chapter mention

rebellious Judah again, rebelling at every turn.

Here they are again, straying away, whoring away from.

God, the one true God. Jeremiah praise for them about

First Kings chapter 8 verses 41 through 43.

1 Kings 8:41–43

If you don't think praying for lost people is something that we

see all throughout Scripture, Solomon prays for even the

unbelieving foreigners at a time when people wouldn't have prayed

for foreigners, for the foreigners that had come into

their land. You know what he prayed.

And while they're here, may the heart be turned to you, the one

true and living God. He prayed for the salvation and

the redemption of foreigners who didn't belong to the Jewish

people at all. Luke chapter 23 as we've already

Luke 23 · chapter mention

discovered Jesus giving us the greatest example, praying for

his own executions, praying to God the Father would spare them.

Acts Chapter 7 we see him following in the footsteps of

Acts 7 · chapter mention

Jesus Stephen there in Acts Chapter 7 at his execution and

Acts 7 · chapter mention

his stoning for his faith in Christ.

He says this in verse 59 while they were stoning him.

While they were stoning them, him, it says Stephen prayed.

I want you to think about that for a second because I know

that's difficult for the American church to wrap our

minds around this. He wasn't calling local law

enforcement. He wasn't begging them to stop.

As they were stoning him, he prayed.

What did he pray? Lord Jesus received my spirit.

He didn't stop there. Then he fell on his knees and

cried out. Lord, do not hold this sin

against them. And when he had said this, he

fell asleep. His last and dying words were a

prayer for the unbelievers that were killing him by stoning him

to death while it was actually happening.

He was not recovering in the hospital after a brutal stoning

that he lived through. His last breath was to pray for

the lost people who were murdering him.

Church LED us to see the magnitude of this.

Let's see what the Apostle Paul is teaching us.

Let us decide. Will we be a biblical ministry

in regard to our prayers? Will we be like the rest of the

selfish self seeking American churches, seeking only what we

can get in this lifetime? It's free with purpose, the

salvation of the perishing, but the promotion of peace.

I end with this because this is where we stopped today.

He says in verse 8. I want men everywhere to lift up

holy hands in prayer without anger or disputing.

Many say that maybe that goes in the next passage.

Maybe it fits in this patch, as I think it stays in this passage

because it is the context of prayer.

Context is going to change next, the propriety, the worship of

women, not actually worshipping them, but how they should

worship. He's saying that we ought to

pray for the unbelievers, lifting up holy hands in prayer

without anger or disputing. This is prayer for the promotion

of peace. You know how to make an

unbelieving enemy your friend and pray for his soul.

And then not only when he's saved will he become your

friend. He will become your brother in

Christ, and you will have unity and fellowship with God the

Father, with this new brother in Christ.

Second person purpose that we see here, the first purpose,

salvation for the perishing. So let this be our purpose in

prayer, but also let it be for the promotion of peace.

Let me remind you what Jesus said in Matthew 590 said blessed

are the peacemakers, blessed are the peacemakers.

Paul calling these men lift up holy hands in prayer without

anger disputing. Be people of peace.

As you pray, pray that God would bring the unbelieving into his

fold so that they can find rest and they can find peace, just as

we have in the fold of Christ. And we promote peace through our

prayers, through our communion with Christ.

As they persecute us, as they cause us to suffer, May we lift

up holy hands, praying for them without anger in our heart

toward them, just as Jesus displayed or disputing.

In doing so, we promote peace by portraying Christ.

Doesn't the New Testament call us to live such godly lives that

even though they insult us and they persecute us, in the end,

they know they have nothing to say about us?

Oh, if we were a people who were devoted to lifting up holy hands

in prayer, not being angry when we watch Fox News or see the

world crater around us, not getting in into endless disputes

over controversial crazy issues that we see come up today,

conspiracies and the like. Wouldn't it be better if the

world saw us, its men and women, lifting up holy hands in prayer,

refusing to be angry as Jesus refused to be angry at those who

took his life? What would happen when the lost

world see us, sees us praying like that?

What's going to happen? Your Christ likeness is going to

promote peace because they will see not you, but they will see

the Prince of Peace and then through you, you will be doing

what Paul says to do in Romans chapter 12 verse 18, where he

Romans 12:18

says if it possible, as far as it depends upon you, live at

peace with everyone. How do we do that?

Holy hands lifted in prayer, refusing to be angry and

refusing to dispute with unbelievers simply to petition

God for their lost souls, pointing them to Jesus Christ as

we preach the gospel to them, as we share with them the love of

Christ. Biblical ministers, biblical

ministries, we praying with intention and with purpose.

Let us be that. Let us be that you men who are

here today, you are a minister in your home.

You moms who are here today, you're a minister in your home,

minister to your children. Pray for their souls.

Let us be obedient to what we've seen this morning.

It's going to look a little different here at the end.

I've already mentioned up up front here in these wooden

containers, they're, you'll find yellow and green and blue

redemption cards on these hundreds of cards that are here,

the names of loved ones and friends and families and maybe

even enemies that others believe to be lost.

They have asked that we, the church, would pray for them.

Many of you, you've taken many opportunities to do that.

Some of you I've never one time walked 25 steps to pray for a

name on a card that God would show them mercy and forgiveness.

And I pray today that that changes forever.

And we would utilize this time here at the end of the service,

not for ourselves or our needs for the needs of the

unbelievers. What do they need?

Christ in a moment as I pray, going to ask our invitation

counselors if you would come forth standing to my right and

to my left. Perhaps you're here today and

you're an unbeliever and you don't know Christ.

And God has made that clear maybe in the weeks and the

months past. And you know that today you need

to surrender to Christ. You've heard the gospel, you

know that you're a Sinner. You know you have a great need

for Christ, and today I pray that it would be the day that

you repent of your sin and you turn to Christ.

If that's you, I'm going to ask you to do something simply to

come up to one of these people, my right, my left.

And all you have to do is tell them I need to know how to be

saved, and they're going to show you how to be saved biblically.

For the rest of us, may we hear this call to prayer.

May we be obedient to pray for the lost.

Perhaps someone that you know whose name's not on this list.

There's pens here, there's empty cards.

Put their name on there that others would pray for them as

well. Very startling statement from

the ministry of Jesus Christ constantly grips me as a pastor

and as a man of God. I pray that we never become

this. Jesus walked into the temple

after weaving a whip together, and he drove all the money

changers and all the crooks from the temple and he drove them

away with this statement, says. My Father desires that this be a

House of prayer, but you have made it a den.

Thieves. You've only come here to get

what you can get over and over and over and over again.

Yes, maybe what you get is good theology.

Maybe what you get is good Bible teaching.

But you were all about you getting.

He says shame on us, this should be a House of prayer.

Be humble yourself. Will you petition the lost and

the dying at the throne of God this morning?

Although we love you, we thank You for Your Word, we know that

it will accomplish what you set out for it to accomplish.

Bring us to our knees. Make us the people of prayer, as

you desire and as Your Word teaches us to be.

May no one that we know spend an eternity in hell because we did

not pray for them. Jesus, you've been listening to

Key Life Fellowships Pulpit Ministry podcast.

Join us each week for more teaching from God's Word.