1 Timothy 2:1-7 Pray in Christ
The Text
1 Timothy 2:1-7 (CSB) First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time.
For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
The Meditation
I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority
Let us boldly petition God for God for everyone. What does that mean?
Look at Luke's account of the Lord's prayer.
Luke 11:5-13 (CSB) He also said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend and goes to him at midnight and says to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I don’t have anything to offer him.’ Then he will answer from inside and say, ‘Don’t bother me! The door is already locked, and my children and I have gone to bed. I can’t get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, even though he won’t get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his friend’s shameless boldness, he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? ”
When we pray, how should we come to the Father? One might say humbly and I would agree so since we are mere mortals approaching our Creator God who is Holy and lifted far above all our sinful idols.
But Jesus tells us to have this mindset and attitude when approaching our Good Father:
- boldly
- confidently
- audaciously
- almost to the point of where you think you are bugging God
But guess what, you cannot "bug" nor "bother" the God of the universe whose Son actively in his mind actively holds together the molecules of the universe:
Colossians 1:15-20 (CSB) He is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
For everything was created by him,
in heaven and on earth,
the visible and the invisible,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities —
all things have been created through him and for him.
He is before all things,
and by him all things hold together.
He is also the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning,
the firstborn from the dead,
so that he might come to have
first place in everything.
For God was pleased to have
all his fullness dwell in him,
and through him to reconcile
everything to himself,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace
through his blood, shed on the cross.
... the same God of the universe who infinitely does everything and all infinite things all at the same time from past to present to future at all times infinitely and maxed out good and perfect. If he does that, does he not devote his undivided attention to you?
I am a dad who is blessed with kids who are bold and audacious to ask their Papa for everything. And I cannot give them all of my attention all the time. I always have to stop what I am doing and focus on them. And even then, it is so far from perfect.
Christ, the Son of God who is God, commands us, to put it simply, "Go to God, ask for God, you will get God."
Now you might think, "Isn't the prayers of the wicked worthless to God?"
Let me ask you this, if you have the wisdom, gumption, smarts, strength, grace, wherewithal, motivation to go to God, where do you think you get that power from? Not on earth. Not from yourself.
I encourage you all to study Ordo Salutis, the order of how God saves his people from their sins. You will see, for someone to even approach God, they could not as a son of Adam, but God, rich in mercy and love, has to swoop down into us, pull our wicked, concrete hearts out, replaces it with his own heart, and then gives us his Almighty Spirit so that you and I will now have new desires and passions.
The unbeliever and worthless man cannot go to God. Not until God changes that man. Only then can mankind know that they are in desperate need of the only Savior who is able, willing, and power to save them from the death and sin.
Linked all together. Jesus Christ said, "Go and try to bother the Father." Turn from your sin, turn to God, go to God, run to God, ask God for God, it is guaranteed by the blood of the Lamb, in exchange you will get God.
Now Paul takes that and says:
I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority
Go to God--audaciously, boldly--and petition, prayer, intercede and give thanks for everyone--in the Greek, that means 'everyone'--and for kings and the even the presidents, judges, and senators that you hate. You are go to God and ask God to save them so that, in heaven, they will be side by side with you, worshipping our great God together. Wouldn't that be a splendid and wonderful thing?
so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity
You know what is the effect of intentionally praying, petitioning, interceding, and giving thanks for people who you think are your mortal enemies? Shocking enough, they stop being your enemies. You stop hating them. You start loving them. You start caring for them. You start giving to them and want nothing in return. You literally start killing them with kindness. Jesus praises the shrewdness and the craftiness of the dishonest manager in Luke 16. And Jesus wishes that the children of light were just as crafty as the children of the world in dealing with others and loving them.
Our Father owns the cattle on a thousand hills. We are so stupidly wealthy. Kill others with kindness--literally, "money whip" others--so that:
Luke 16:9 (CSB) And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth so that when it fails, they may welcome you into eternal dwellings.
I am not off subject. Look at what Paul tells us to do: "lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity." Paul never says, "lead a quiet, godly life if your circumstances see fit." No, you cannot control your circumstances--I don't care what prosperity false preachers told you. No, you cannot control other people. But you can lead a godly, tranquil, quiet life and you do so by first praying for others and giving thanks for them.
This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth
Romans 2:3-4 (CSB) Do you think—anyone of you who judges those who do such things yet do the same—that you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you despise the riches of his kindness, restraint, and patience, not recognizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
You know what these passages are not about? Trying to full some Calvinist vs. non-Calvinist online debate. You know what this passage is about? Look and marvel at the sweetness of God our Savior and his tender mercies and kindness towards mankind.
God is holy, just, and right. Fully and perfectly, But God is love, kind, gracious, and merciful. Fully and perfectly. It's the end of discussion. Dwell on the goodness of God.
If you do not know God in this way, ask a friend. Ask your neighbor. Read your Bible. Read books. Write. Journal. Listen to podcasts and sermons until you know and feel that Jesus loves you because the Bible told you so.
For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, a testimony at the proper time
Romans 6:8-11 (CSB) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him, because we know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will not die again. Death no longer rules over him. For the death he died, he died to sin once for all time; but the life he lives, he lives to God. So, you too consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
Sum this up:
Romans 5:8 (CSB) But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Christ gave his life for his people over 2,000 years ago. The deal is done. The sacrifice is complete. Nothing more to do. His work is complete. We are saved.
The Gospel
For this I was appointed a herald, an apostle (I am telling the truth; I am not lying), and a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth
Here are big facts: this not my truth. This is not the truth that is true to me because I believe it and others may not. It is definitely not the truth of the world--which was different a 100 years ago, when I was born, 20 years ago and today.
This is absolute truth for all mankind for all of history because the One God who created heaven and hell and earth and you and me proclaimed it to be so and it is done.
Believe on this. Call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.