First Things First

I want to begin tonight by asking you what our church should be doing that it isn’t doing

this is a pretty broad question, and there are no right answers, so just yell out with something that’s been on your mind

[responses]

in our church, we have over 220 members

our average Sunday morning attendance so far this year has been around 280

it’s safe to say that we have we probably have about 280 different opinions about where our church should be headed

280 different agendas for the church

I’m more than a little curious what advice Paul will give Timothy

what advice will the apostle Paul give that church leader on how to lead a church?

up until now, in chapter 1, Paul has admonished Timothy to correct false teachers

Paul charged Timothy to "command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer"

that was Timothy’s task as a church leader: to defend Christian truth from distortion or perversion

but in chapter 2, Paul moves to the subject of church worship

the question is not what Timothy is called to do, but now: what is the church as a whole called to do?

what is the calling, the mission of the church?

and what we have in chapter 2 is the earliest manual on church worship that we possess

here we have instructions on the public worship services of the church – what are churches to do when they gather together?

what conduct is appropriate within the church?

I would like to unpack this rich passage tonight, as we make application to our situation here at Richview Baptist Church

let me first begin by saying that

THE PRIORITY IN PUBLIC WORSHIP IS PRAYER

(1 Timothy 2:1) I urge, then, first of all…

if I asked you, "What elements of public worship should take priority within the church," we would receive many different answers

we would hear such things as music, prayers, Scripture reading, the proclamation of God’s Word

I myself would have a hard time answering this question – how can you pick among so many different options?

but in verse 1, Paul writes, "I urge, then, first of all…"

whatever Paul is about to say, it is urgent

and then Paul says that phrase, "first of all"

Paul could mean either first in time, but it is clear from the context that Paul is saying "first in importance"

so ask yourself, "What exactly is Paul identifying as the urgent first priority of the church?"

let’s read on

(1 Timothy 2:1) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone

question again: what is the urgent first priority of the church?

answer: prayer is the urgent first priority of the church

the most essential part of public worship is prayer

prayer is absolutely central to everything the church does

Jim Cymbala writes, "The clearest instructions about church life come in the Pastoral Letters, where Paul tells young pastors such as Timothy to proceed. The apostle couldn’t be more direct than in 1 Timothy 2:1: ‘I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone.’"

first in importance in public worship is this matter of prayer

Paul actually lists four different types of prayer in verse 1

I think that Paul is emphasizing the priority of prayer more than the different types of prayer, but it’s worth looking at these four words quickly

out of the 7 Greek words used in the New Testament for prayer, four of them are used here

requests in verse 1 refers to petitions

it has the idea of needs and desires

God wants us to bring our needs and requests to him

prayers is a more general word

unlike the requests we just mentioned, it only has reference to God

requests can be given to anyone, but prayers can only be offered to God

it reminds us that our prayers are God-directed, and worshipful

intercession is a word that only appears twice in the New Testament

it seems to have the idea of both conversation and petition

some say that it’s a free familiar prayer, such as boldly draws near to God

Origen, the greatest Bible scholar of the early church, taught that the fundamental idea was boldness of access to God's presence.

and thanksgivings is self-explanatory

the giving of thanks should always be an important part of our prayers

it’s the one aspect of prayer that will continue throughout eternity

Eugene Peterson paraphrases this verse, "The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how; for everyone you know."

the first thing we ought to be doing as a church is praying – praying in a variety of ways, but praying

now is the time that some of you are going to get discouraged in prayer

it’s only been since January that we’ve given prayer a higher place of priority

it’s tempting to give up, because prayer isn’t always easy

there aren’t always immediate results

people – even leaders – that you hope would be involved, aren’t

but Paul says, "Prayer is first in importance in the public worship of the church. Don’t let it slip"

WHAT SHOULD WE PRAY FOR?

(1 Timothy 2:1) I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone--

(1 Timothy 2:2) for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.

verse one literally says "all men" – not in terms of every single person alive

the idea is that we pray for all kinds of people

we are not to limit or restrict the scope of our prayers to believers, or to any type of person

we are to pray for all, regardless of race, nationality, or social position

pray for everyone you know – don’t leave any type of person out

pray for those you see every day

even when you drive down the highway, and you look over to another car and briefly make eye contact – pray for that person

pray for their salvation

you don’t know them, but God does

the important point in at the end of verse 1 is this – don’t leave any type of person off your prayer list

Paul gets more specific in verse 2

we have a special obligation to pray for government leaders

prayer for all those in various levels of authority should have a regular place in our public worship

at that time, the emperor was Nero

you remember him – he was a notoriously cruel tyrant

a man who would eventually murder both his mother and his wife

known for his brutality and scandals that would make modern political scandals look like nothing

a man who, later, would arrest and kill Christians on charges of "hatred of the human race"

Paul says, "Pray for him"

do you get the picture?

prayer has got to be one of the central priorities in the church

and one of the things we need to do when we gather to pray is to pray for our civic leaders – to pray for governments

WHY SHOULD WE PRAY?

two reasons

reason number one to pray is found in verse 2

the reason is that "we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness"

the word peaceful refers to the outward situation – a life free from outward disturbance

the second word, quiet, refers to our situation – the inner state of the church

the goal is that the church may be free of both external and internal disturbances that can be so distracting

and the goal is not just peace and quiet in itself – the goal in verse 2 is that we may lead lives of "godliness and holiness"

in other words, the goal of our prayers for all kinds of people – and for the government – is that an environment conducive to the spread of the church might be realized

the reason we need to pray for government and for politicians is not primarily so that taxes may be cut, or that certain issues may be addressed – the primary reason is for the good of the church

when last have you prayed for government leaders to lead in such a way that the church can advance, free from external or internal disturbance?

but a second and more profound reason to pray is given in verse 3

(1 Timothy 2:3) This is good, and pleases God our Savior,

(1 Timothy 2:4) who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

the primary reason to pray is because prayer pleases God, whose nature it is to save

God defines evangelistic prayer – prayer for all types of people, for the lost, for government leaders – God defines this type of prayer as intrinsically, morally good, and our consciences agree

the word good in verse 3 means "beautiful, pleasing"

our prayers on behalf of the lost are beautiful to God, and pleasing to him

God’s heart, according to verse 4, is that all people be saved, and come to a knowledge of the truth – not an intellectual knowledge, but an acceptance by faith

when Paul says that God wants all men to be saved, this could refer to one of two things, and we can’t be sure which

Paul could mean "God wants all people – every single person in the world – to be saved," or it could mean, "God wants all types of people to be saved – people of every rank and status, tribe and nation"

in either case, God’s heartbeat is the salvation of men and women

(2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God has even delayed the day of judgment to allow more people to escape the coming judgment

John MacArthur writes, "If the primary aim of the church were fellowship, knowledge of the Word, or the holiness of the saints, all those goals could perfectly be accomplished by taking us to heaven. The central function of the church is to reach the lost"

and, I might add, one of the first things to do in reaching the lost is to pray for them

it is a most excellent task to pray for the salvation of the lost

to clinch his argument, Paul inserts what appears to be an extract from a catechism or a liturgical formula

(1 Timothy 2:5) For there is one God…

this is the basic tenet of Judaism, repeated at every synagogue service, and by pious Jews daily

but Paul goes on:

(1 Timothy 2:5) For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,

(1 Timothy 2:6) who gave himself as a ransom for all men--the testimony given in its proper time.

in Job 9:33, Job complained:

(Job 9:33 NLT) If only there were a mediator who could bring us together, but there is none.

Job was crying out for someone who could go between him and God, representing both of them, and somehow mediating to bring peace

and Jesus Christ is that mediator

only Jesus is fully man – even today! – and fully God

and by his death, he restored the harmony that was broken

he restored us to fellowship with God through his death and resurrection

he was a ransom for us – a ransom being in that day what was paid to set a slave free

Jesus paid the price

one person translates it, "Jesus…offered himself in exchange for everyone held captive by sin, to set them all free"

and Paul says in verse 7

(1 Timothy 2:7) And for this purpose I was appointed a herald and an apostle--I am telling the truth, I am not lying--and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles.

this is Paul’s calling – to be a herald, an apostle, and a teacher of the truth to the Gentiles

there is so much to unpack in these verses

but let’s back up and try to get the central point

why should we pray?

we should pray both to create the climate necessary for the growth of the church, and because prayer for the lost is intrinsically good, and consistent with God’s saving nature

so far in this passage, we’ve discovered the priority in worship: prayer

we’ve discovered what we should be praying for: all types of people, specifically government leaders

we’ve discovered why: so that the church can be left undisturbed, and because prayer is consistent with God’s saving nature

Paul answers one final question in verse 8

HOW SHOULD WE PRAY?

(1 Timothy 2:8) I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

we will deal with the gender issue next week, but suffice it to say that in the Jewish synagogue only men were permitted to recite the prayers

here, Paul carries this over into the church in Ephesus

and he says, "I want, I command, I purpose that men lift up holy hands in prayer…"

let me just pause to say that the most general posture for prayer appears to have been to stand with hands outstretched and uplifted, with palms turned upwards

if we had more time, I would talk about the importance of body in worship, and how the raising of hands to God in prayer isn’t Pentecostal or charismatic – it’s biblical

but I don’t think Paul’s main point in verse 8 is posture – it’s the inward condition of the heart

Paul says, "I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing."

genuine prayer is impossible for those who are unforgiving and who are nourishing grudges

Eugene Peterson paraphrases, "Since prayer is at the bottom of this, what I want mostly is for men to pray – not shaking angry fists at enemies but raising holy hands to God."

so friends, prayer is the main thing

let’s put first things first, and pray for the lost

when we do so, we’re doing what is beautiful and acceptable to God, and consistent with his nature

let’s even now bow in prayer and plead with God that prayer would be the first thing in this church and in our hearts

let’s cry out following the example of Jesus, who prayed for those who killed him

let’s follow the example of other Christian and their evangelistic prayers

John Knox cried out, "Give me Scotland or I die"

George Whitfield prayed, "O Lord, give me souls or take my soul"

and the apostle Paul himself might have received salvation in answer to the martyr Stephen’s prayer, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them"

are you prepared to respond to the urgency and priority of prayer?

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First Things First (1 Timothy 2:1-8)