Before You Do Anything - Pray

We'll be looking at First Timothy.

First Timothy chapter two.

What a good book.

So many lessons from Paul that we can apply to our lives.

And and Paul is writing to Timothy about the church in Ephesus, and he's telling them to live out their faith, to move in the direction of prayer, and to live in a way that honors the Lord in the process.

And so if you're able, could we please stand for the reading of the Lord's word?

Thank you.

Let's read verses one through four for some context.

Paul says, Now, therefore, I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence.

For this is good in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Let's pray.

Lord, we worship you.

We praise you, we thank you.

I pray that we would disconnect from the distractions of this world to turn to you again, praying that you would give us insight for praying for leaders, giving thanks for all men.

And Lord, what it means to lead a quiet life in reverence to you.

I pray that I would use my words up very carefully, that I wouldn't misrepresent you in any way.

And Lord, as we do Bible study, that you, that we all would be encouraged, that we would leave this place wanting to be difference makers for you, being lights shining on a hill.

So Lord, we worship you, we praise you, and we thank you in Jesus' name.

Amen.

Amen.

You may be seated.

A little bit about this book.

Paul is writing from the area of Macedonia.

It's the northern part of Greece.

Um, and he's writing to Timothy.

Um Paul has just been released from prison in Rome.

Uh Timothy is one of Paul's closest friends in the ministry.

His name means one who honors the Lord.

He's mentioned more than 20 times throughout the New Testament.

He's a young pastor in Ephesus, and so Paul is encouraging him not to let anybody look down on him because he's young, but instead to be an example of what it looks like to walk in the integrity of the Lord.

And this is great advice.

The church in Ephesus, it was located right on the coast.

It was in uh modern day Turkey today.

It was a major port city.

It was under Roman control, and the population in that area was huge.

It was sitting right around 225,000, 250,000 people.

It was noisy, it was crowded.

Some of the streets or some of the buildings had running water plumbing that would flow in and through uh the buildings, so it was very high-tech for the for the time.

Um and scripture gives us a little insight into the spiritual climate of the city.

In the book of Acts, Acts chapter 19, the Bible says that there was a practice of magic that was deeply embedded into the culture.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Uh, the city was filled with different forms of idolatry.

Uh, there was a worship of Artemis or Diana.

Um, Artemis was the goddess of fertility, so you can imagine the things happening in the temple worship areas.

She was supposedly the daughter to Zeus and the sister to Apollo.

And from around 550 BC, the temple of Artemis was famous for being one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

And the temple of Artemis, it's still there.

My mother was just there.

Uh, she brought back some amazing pictures from uh the footsteps of Paul.

And when Paul writes this letter, he's hoping to visit Timothy soon, but he says, if I'm delayed, I want you to know how you should conduct yourself in the house of the Lord, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground for truth.

And what was happening is that the perch was uh the church was being pulled in different directions, and so Paul urges Timothy to protect the church by preaching sound doctrine.

He says to love from a pure heart in chapter one, verses five, to stand apart from false teachings and empty talks in chapter one, verses six and seven.

Uh there was a misuse of Old Testament uh scriptures that pulled people away from the true way that is found in Jesus Christ.

And he says to Timothy in verse 18, to hold on to your faith when others have rejected theirs.

And he names two people in particular who he says have shipwrecked their faith, Hamanias and Alexander.

And so chapter one literally becomes uh the foundation with exhortations, teachings, and warning for the church.

And now there's a shift happening in chapter two that begins with prayer and peace.

And the reasons why we pray is because the Lord desires every man to be saved.

And so, with that mini introduction, let's begin reading again in verse one.

Paul says, Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.

Let's stop there.

Paul's tell Paul tells Timothy that before you do anything in ministry or anything in life, let prayer be the first thing that you do to move in the direction of prayer.

And Paul gives us four ways to pray in verse one.

One is supplications, it's bringing our needs, the burdens to the Lord, the things that we can't fix on our own.

Number two, Paul says, prayers.

Uh this is a lifestyle of prayer or being in regular communication with the Lord, knowing that the Lord is in the ordinary moments of our day.

He told the church in Thessalonica to pray without ceasing.

Uh number three was intercessions.

Uh, this is standing in a gap for a family member or a friend or somebody who we struggle to get along with.

This is praying for reconciliation.

And number four, and finally, Paul says to give thanks for for all men.

And this really should open up our prayer life.

Because that's not always the easier thing to do, especially when we've been hurt by somebody in the past.

But Jesus said that I want you to love your enemies and to pray for those people who are persecuting you.

And praying like this will reflect the Lord's heart for his people.

Amen.

In verse 4, in verse 1, Paul wants prayer to be the first thing that Timothy does before anything.

Uh the first thing that we do.

Uh my family and I, we have a new rhythm in our house.

We call it 6 30 in front of the fireplace.

And uh in the morning we come together and we pray, uh, just laying the foundation before life gets busy.

My little guy uh he says to make it 7 30 in front of the fireplace because he he wants a little bit of extra sleep.

I love what C.S.

Lewis said about prayer.

He said, I pray because I can't help myself.

I pray because I'm helpless, because the need flows out of me all the time, waking and sleeping.

It doesn't change God, but it changes me.

And Jesus did this often.

He would go away to the quiet places and pray in the morning.

The Bible says that he stayed up all night praying before choosing the twelve disciples.

And almost every one of Paul's letters, he's moving in the direction of prayer.

And Paul says to, or the Bible says to you, Scripture says to trust in the Lord with all of your heart and lean not on your own understanding, but in all of your ways he will make your paths crooked, right?

No, he's gonna make our path straight.

And this is prayer.

It's it's putting him first in front of everything before buying a house, before accepting that promotion, before pursuing a relationship.

It's seeking first the kingdom of God.

And when we do this, it helps me to stay on the path that the Lord has for my life.

Amen.

It's a firm foundation.

Paul is telling Timothy to begin with prayer in verse one.

In verse two, he tells us who to be praying for.

He says to pray for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence, a life free from persecution.

We'll stop there.

Paul is telling Timothy to pray for authority.

And Paul knew that the authorities in that day were not always easy to get along with.

And one of the rulers in that day was Caesar Nero, and history records Nero as being a very cruel person.

He was a very violent person.

He murdered his mother, he killed his first wife.

He he reigned from 54 A.D.

until he took his life in 68 A.D.

And Paul, in obedience to the Lord, he says, he says, Pray.

I love history.

William Tyndale.

Anybody know William Tyndale?

In the early 1500s, William Tyndale prayed for leaders.

He also translated the Word of God so that ordinary readers would be able to understand the scriptures for them for themselves.

And this happened in a time when unauthorized translations were considered illegal, even dangerous, by governing authorities under the English church, the governing authorities under King Henry VIII.

And so what William did is he ran away from England to Germany, where he finished his work.

But he was betrayed by a friend who handed him over to the authorities, and after a year in prison, he was executed.

Major bummer.

But William's final prayer was Lord, open the eyes of the king.

And this is amazing because his final moments aren't spent in bitterness, but he's interceding for the king.

And Paul was saying the same thing to pray for leaders.

Because when we pray, when we enter into prayer with the Lord, uh, this could change everything.

A nation, a situation, something heavy that we're walking through, and something happens behind the scenes that the Lord deals with through prayer.

The Bible says that we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.

Nope.

But against the principalities, against the darkness of this age, against the spiritual host of wickedness in the heavenly places.

And when we pray, we're not just speaking words, we're stepping into something that the Lord is doing behind the scenes, and we don't pray because our situation is perfect, and we don't pray because uh our leaders are perfect, but because the Lord is and he knows the plans that he has for us.

Amen.

So we pray.

We pray for authority.

The Bible says that authority has been established by the Lord, Romans chapter 13.

Romans 13 · chapter mention

Um a while ago, a long while ago, we were in an airport and there was a car chase happening on the TV screen in the airport, and it went on for a while, and and praise the Lord, they finally got the guy.

And I was studying through this passage, I was thinking that firefighters, police officers, first responders, it's it's good to have them there.

They've been established by the Lord and they need our prayers.

Finishing up verse 2, Paul says to pray for leaders, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all godliness and reverence.

Again, a a life free from persecution.

We'll stop there.

Paul is telling Timothy that the way we live, it matters.

Um when Paul writes this, he's not writing from a place of complete comfort.

No, uh, because he knows what it's like to be in prison and and he knows what it's like to meet be misunderstood.

And from those moments, he says to Timothy to live in a quiet and peaceful way, in reverence to the Lord.

And I love this because Paul reaffirms this way of thinking again in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, when he says to make it your ambition to live a quiet life.

1 Thessalonians 4 · chapter mention

And in the same chapter of Thessalonians, he shows us how to do this, and it's by walking properly around those who are outside of the faith, not getting caught up in the things happening in the world.

Paul tells us to live a quiet life.

He tells us why a quiet quiet life matters.

He says, For this is good in verse 3 and 4.

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.

Paul says to pray, to live well, because the Lord desires all men to be saved.

Hebrews chapter 9, the Bible says that it is appointed for man to die once and then to face the judgment, and the prayer of salvation is the most important prayer that a person could ever pray.

Hebrews 9 · chapter mention

And this is why we pray.

Because the Lord alone is the heart changer.

I can try to encourage and I can try to build up and point somebody in the right direction, but ultimately it's a work of the Holy Spirit that does all the work.

It's not me.

And we're not only called to pray, but we're called to walk in the integrity of his word.

And this is why it's so important to circle back to verse 2 about leading a quiet and peaceful life in reverence to the Lord.

Because a transformed life could have a major impact on somebody else's life.

The Bible says that some can be one without a word for 1 Peter chapter 3.

1 Peter 3 · chapter mention

Sometimes the first sermon that somebody might ever hear is through the way that we live.

The Lord's light shining through your life could ignite somebody's path.

Jesus said, I am the light of the world.

Then he said, To let your light shine before all men, that they may see your good works and glorify the Father in heaven.

And this kind of quiet and peaceful life can create an opportunity to share the gospel with others.

Paul says to live well, to pray, because the Lord desires every man and every woman to be saved.

And he shows us how this is possible in verses five and six.

He says, For there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom in verse six for all to be testified in due time.

Let's stop there.

Paul is reminding Timothy that in a city filled with idols and many false gods, that behind the confusion there's one way to the Father.

John chapter 1, verses 1 through 14.

John 1:1–14

The Bible tells us who the mediator in, Jesus, who the mediator is, Jesus Christ, the one who was God, and the one who became flesh.

Because in the beginning, Genesis chapter 3, sin broke fellowship with the Lord, and we could never fix that, but Jesus did.

Genesis 3 · chapter mention

We needed a mediator to bring us back into a right relationship with the Father.

And Jesus bridged the gap, and the bridge was the cross of Christ.

Amen.

John chapter 14, Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

John 14 · chapter mention

And no one comes to the Father except through me.

Peter said that salvation is found in no one else.

He says that Jesus is the way.

And Paul explains how the way was made in verse 6.

He says that Jesus gave himself a ransom.

The Greek word for ransom is the word anti-leitron, meaning in place of or to exchange for.

The last part of that word, litron, means ransom, price paid, or something that sets a prisoner or a slave free.

And this is what Jesus did for us when he went to the cross.

It wasn't just a payment for our sin, it was a way back to the Father, a demonstration of the Lord's love for his people.

It's so good.

Jesus has reconciled all things to himself through the work of the cross.

It's the finished work.

It's finished.

Everything changes because we have a new master.

We don't need to be mastered by the things that ruled over us in the past.

Whether it's guilt, shame, the things we've done, the old mistakes that weigh us down, we get a new start because the cross changes everything.

And Paul knew this personally.

Because from the cross, he connects verse 7 to his personal calling.

He says, For which I was appointed a preacher and apostle, I'm speaking the truth in Christ, and I'm not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles and faith and truth.

We'll stop there.

Before Paul was a preacher or a teacher, he was a man who persecuted the church.

In Galatians chapter 1, Paul said that he even tried to destroy the church, and Paul comes to the Lord and everything changes.

Galatians 1 · chapter mention

The Bible says that he was on the road to Damascus in Acts chapter 9, and a light comes down from heaven and he meets the Lord, and everything changes.

Acts 9 · chapter mention

And in that moment, Paul said, Lord, what do you want me to do?

I love those eight words.

Lord, what do you want me to do?

It feels like that's a sermon in itself.

The Lord meets Paul and he begins to move in a different direction, in the direction of the Lord.

And many of us can say the same thing, not really on the road to Damascus, but on our own road, doing our own thing, thinking that we had it all figured out, and the Lord meets us and he changes the direction of our hearts.

It's amazing.

Giving us new life, new direction.

The Lord gave Paul new direction to preach the word and truth.

He continues in verse 7.

He says, For I was appointed a preacher and apostle on speaking the truth in Christ.

I'm not lying.

A teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

We'll stop there for a moment.

And throughout the New Testament, Paul's life was grounded in teaching the truth, not only to the uh Jews, but especially to the Gentiles, when it was unpopular for the Gentiles to be included in anything.

He's reminding Timothy, he's reminding Timothy and us that no matter where we've been or the things that we we've done, that the Lord is ready to bring us near, and he wants to use our life for his glory.

This is good news.

But many times I look at my past and I think the Lord could never use anybody like me.

But the opposite is true.

Paul says, I'm speaking truth in verse 7, and this matters because we can build our life on this truth, the truth of the Lord's word.

It's a firm foundation.

Psalm chapter 119, the Bible says that from the beginning to the end, the Lord's word is truth.

Psalms 119 · chapter mention

Jesus said again that I am the way, the truth, and the life.

And then he said, if you abide in my words, you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.

His love has set us free.

He doesn't want us to be in bondage to the things that controlled us in the past.

No matter what we've done, we get a new start, and this is amazing news.

We don't have to be weighed down by the anxieties and the things of the guilt that ruled over us in the past.

The cross changes everything.

The Lord's word is the firm foundation.

You know, it's a lamp to our feet and a light unto my path.

And sometimes I wish it was a big beacon of light where I could see up ahead and around the corner.

But it's one right step after another according to the Lord's word.

Amen.

It directs me.

It's anchored my marriage and it's a firm foundation in all that I do.

Really quickly, I wanted to move through verse eight.

Paul continues, he says, Now I desire therefore that men pray everywhere.

And when Paul uses the word therefore, he's connecting everything back to the beginning of this chapter, to the importance of prayer.

We have an amazing uh prayer group that meets every Sunday morning in the next room, and it's available for every one of us to go in there and pray.

And it's a good opportunity to seek the Lord and to seek his will for our life.

When Paul says men pray everywhere, he says, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting.

Let's stop there for a moment.

When Paul says men pray everywhere, he's reminding us that there's no place where prayer does not belong.

And I love Paul's heart for prayer because he understood that prayer was meant to be a regular part of our life with the Lord.

It's communication with the Lord.

It's communicating.

Chelsea and I, we've been married for almost 23 years next March.

And uh yeah.

And we've had conversations that have strengthened our relationship, conversations that have made us laugh and made us cry, but if I'm only speaking with her for a few minutes out of every day, it's not much of a relationship.

And sometimes I do this with the Lord.

And this portion of scripture here has challenged me to spend time with the Lord.

I mean real time, seeking the Lord, seeking his direction for my life, whatever it might be, I want the Lord to be in front of it all.

Paul says, Men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands.

And in the early church, hands being lifted high was a sign of a surrendered life, but more than hands being lifted high, Paul is talking about the conditions of our hearts.

If my hands are higher in worship, but on the inside, my heart is filled with sin and iniquity and all kinds of goop.

This pulls me away from fellowship with the Lord, and this is a problem.

The Lord says that even though you make many prayers, I will not hear.

And this is a beautiful picture of the Lord's grace and how he wants fellowship with us, each and every one of us.

But unrepented sin will hinder our fellowship with the Lord.

And this is what Paul is saying in verse eight.

He says that lifting our hands in prayer is a good thing, but the Lord is looking at the heart behind the hands.

So he says to pray in this way, verse 8, without wrath and doubting.

Doubt is moving from one side to another, from one fence to another.

Wrath is anger controlling the direction of our lives.

The Beatitudes, Matthew chapter 5, Jesus talks about the dangers of anger.

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

He says, if you have anything against your brother, go and reconcile first, and then bring your gift, your worship to the altar.

Because the way that we love our neighbor reveals something about how we really love the Lord.

I love the Lord's example with this.

If anybody could have been angry and stayed angry, it was Jesus on the cross when the people gave him everything that he didn't deserve.

And instead he looked at the crowds with compassion.

And he offered a forgiveness instead of retaliation and anger.

Amen.

In closing, I want to invite the worship band to come up and lead us in communion.

But really quickly, I wanted to share this.

I love the book The Hiding Place by Corey Timboom.

Uh Corey and her family uh rescued hundreds of Jewish people from Nazi persecution during World War II.

And because of this, Corey and her sister Betsy were arrested, sent into a concentration camp where they both both were treated poorly in unimaginable circumstances.

But Corey trusted in the Lord and she moved in the direction of prayer.

She said prayer was essential and it wasn't my last resort.

She said, instead of praying for myself, I inceded I interceded for others.

This released me from my own fear.

She said that these things are only possible through the working of the Holy Spirit.

In chapter 15 of Corey's book, years later, after the war, she came face to face with one of the guards in the concentration camp, and he reached out his hand asking her for her forgiveness.

And Corey said that she didn't have the strength to forgive the man, but she knew the Lord was calling her to forgive, so laying down any thoughts of wrath and anger, she reached out in her own hand and she forgave the man, not because of what he did was okay, because it wasn't, but because of the Lord's forgiveness in her own life.

She said the Holy Spirit gave her the strength to forgive.

And I don't know what we all could be going through today.

Maybe we're walking through something in our marriage.

Maybe it's something heavy at work.

Maybe we're carrying something that nobody knows about.

And you don't have to carry it alone.

Lord is with you.

He's never leaving you, he's never forsaking you.

He's got a plan for you guys.

1 Timothy chapter 2, Paul's been telling Timothy and us to pray, to move in the direction of prayer, to remember that there is one true God, one true meteor, the one who gave himself, Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2 · chapter mention

And no matter what we are going through today, we can fully give ourselves to him.

I love communion because it helps me remember the way.

Let's go to the Lord in prayer.

Lord, we thank you for your word because it shows us the way.

Lord, help us to pray first.

We want to live well because this pleases you.

Lord, thank you for being a good mediator.

We come to the table today.

We remember you.

Remember that your blood was shed for us.

Remember that your body was broken.

Your sacrifice was perfect and complete and completely enough.

Lord, we don't always know the way.

Sometimes we stumble, sometimes we fall, but Lord, you are always there.

You never leave us and you never forsake us.

Lord, as we come to the table, we confess, we turn to you once again, and we recognize what you've done, your sacrifice.

We thank you for this time of Bible study and communion in Jesus' name.

Amen.