1Tim 2:1
Let Us Pray
In chapter 1, Paul introduced this book by talking about the wrong
kind of preachers and Bible teachers, the ones who had swerved from
the truth, become vain janglers, and wanted to teach the law but did
not understand anything about it. Paul moves from teaching merely
what Timothy must do to what Timothy must teach the people to do. He
gives three exhortations in the next two chapters.
I. \\#2:1-8\\ Getting the most out of prayer
II. \\#2:9-15\\ Getting the most out of womanhood
III. \\#3:1-13\\ Getting the most out of church leadership.
I. \\#2:1-8\\ Paul Exhorts the People To Get the Most Out of Praying
A. We should stretch ourselves to pray.
1. "first of all," pray. Discussion about how to pray means
little until first there is a commitment to pray.
2. Prayer is when we stop, focus on God, and typically put
into word our thoughts, emotions, and needs.
3. It is not a normal response for us.
4. To pray is both first on Paul’s list of things to
discuss and the first thing God’s people should do.
a. You can’t pray too much-—unless you keep asking God
God for something you already have an answer on; but
many have hurt themselves from praying too little.
b. You can’t pray incorrectly. (You may ask for the
wrong things but since prayer is talking to God, if
you’re talking to Him, you’re doing good.
c. You can’t accomplish much without prayer. (God may
honor your intentions but power with God is had
through prayer—and only through prayer.
B. \\#2:1\\ We should stretch ourselves to pray deeper. While
prayer is a simple act, it has different levels of intensity
and different purposes.
1. There are four different types of prayers.
a. "prayers"-Prayer is a general term used to describe
any type of conversation we have with God.
(1) It might be very earnest or very casual.
(2) We might be thanking God or asking from Him.
(3) We could be in a deep spirit of worship or busy
with another task and only able to breathe a few
words in passing.
(4) Any words offered to God are prayer. Not all
praying is hard mountain-moving praying, but all
praying is encouraged.
b. "intercessions"
(1) Intercession is prayer on behalf of someone else.
(a) This is the type of prayer we should do more
often.
(b) It is selfless praying that seeks the
welfare of someone other than ourselves.
(2) \\#2:5\\ We are given an example of the greatest
Intercessor of all in Christ.
1Tim 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
(a) Here, Jesus is called our "Mediator."
i. That word means "reconciler."
ii. Jesus stands between us and God to
reconcile us to God and to KEEP us
reconciled to God.
iii. It is Jesus standing as our Mediator
that gets us salvation and keeps us
saved.
(b) Not only are we told that Jesus is the
Mediator, we are told that He is the One
and only Mediator.
(c) While reconciliation is a form of
intercession, it is a task that only Jesus
can do for Jesus is the only One that died
for our sins.
c. "giving of thanks"-The third type of praying is
thanksgiving.
(1) That is when we get alone with God and thank Him
for who He is and what He has done for us.
(2) We should express our gratitude to the God who
gives all good things.
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift
is from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither
shadow of turning.
d. "supplications"-There appears to be no unique
definition of the word.
(1) Most refer to it as if it were a synonym for the
word prayer, but that would have Paul repeating
himself.
(2) I have viewed the word to be a deeper form of
praying.
(3) One where the petitioner is not relying on word-
to-word communication with God but heart-to-
heart and spirit-to-Spirit.
(4) There will likely comes to most a season of
burden which words can not express. When such
seasons come, we can pray with groaning which
cannot be uttered.
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our
infirmities: for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh
intercession for us with groanings which cannot
be uttered.
2. I don’t know that we need to seek after that kind of
groaning in our prayer.
a. It will most likely come sooner or later.
b. But we should seek to be more intense in our prayers.
Jas 5:16 …The effectual fervent prayer of a
righteous man availeth much.
3. I think two things will intensify our prayers.
a. A heavy burden
(1) Typically that means something happens to someone
we love or we catch of glimpse of how something
hurts God.
(2) We must then choose to take that brokenness to
God.
b. Time - The time we are willing to devote to prayer.
The time we devote to prayer is a choice that we each
make every day.
C. \\#2:2\\ We should stretch ourselves to pray for different
people.
2Tim 2:2 For kings, and for all that are in
authority….
1. Here Paul only mentions one category of people, rulers;
but there are many others.
a. He mentions specifically that we are to pray for kings
and then adds that we should pray for all of those in
leadership.
b. Just because we live in a country which does not have
a king that certainly does not mean we should not
pray for our president and other American and world
leaders.
c. After all, the decisions these people make effect us
all!
2. The Bible tells us to pray for others:
a. Paul prayed for other Christians:
Ro 1:9 For God is my witness, whom I serve with
my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without
ceasing I make mention of you always in my
prayers;
Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making
mention of you in my prayers;
Php 1:4 Always in every prayer of mine for you
all making request with joy,
Col 1:3 We give thanks to God and the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,
b. Pray for our enemies:
Mt 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies,
bless them that curse you, do good to them that
hate you, and pray for them which despitefully
use you, and persecute you;
D. \\#2:2-7\\ We should stretch ourselves to understand why
we pray.
1. Why should we pray, especially for these leaders?
1Tim 2:2 …that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life
in all godliness and honesty.
2. So that God may produce through our leaders a:
(a) quiet and
(b) peaceful life, surrounded by
(c) godliness and
(d) honesty.
(e) All four of these qualities seem to be rapidly
disappearing in the prayerless America.
1Tim 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the
sight of God our Saviour;
(f) \\#2:3\\ But to pray for our leaders is good and
acceptable to God, our Savior; that is, Jesus.
(g) Obviously, God wants us to have a good life; but it
will only come through prayer.
3. \\#2:4\\ God wants all men to be saved and to have the
truth.
1Tim 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and
to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
(a) Paul offered proof that God wants all men to be
saved.
(b) The proof is two fold:
1Tim 2:6 Who gave himself a ransom for all….
(1) \\#2:6\\ God sent His Son to be the RANSOM (the
buy-back price) for our sins.
i. The One who made the sacrifice (the Father
and the Son), obviously did not make it
NOT wanting people to get saved.
ii. No one would go through that kind of pain
who DID NOT want men to be redeemed.
(2) \\#2:7\\ God called men, like Paul, to proclaim
what God had done.
1Tim 2:6 … to be testified in due time.
7 Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an
apostle,
i. If you don’t want people to get saved, just
don’t tell them about it.
ii. Paul was a preacher, a teacher, and an
apostle.
iii. Paul understood his ministry was primarily
to the Gentiles, a people group that did
not know much about Jehovah and even less
about Jesus.
iv. Paul mentioned two tools that God had given
to fulfill this charge—faith and truth.
E. \\#2:8\\ We should stretch ourselves to be different so that
we can pray.
1Tim 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every
where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and
doubting.
1. Paul reaffirms his exhortation that we pray, but adds
some qualities to the pray-er.
2. What qualities.
a. Have holy hands when you pray.
(1) It is amazing how we can read the Bible and miss
the point.
(2) People read this verse and all they can see is
raising your hands to pray to Jesus.
(3) Raising a dirty hand does not impress God.
(4) The emphasis there is on HOLINESS.
(5) Holiness with a human being means righteousness,
sinlessness.
(6) To pray and get answers, Christians must be able
to come into God’s presence and that means
turning from sin to a clean and pure life.
b. Have a heart without wrath when you pray.
(1) Our prayers are hindered by anger, bitterness,
and any other emotion which grows selfishness
and hinders love for others.
(2) If we are stuck on ourselves, how are we going to
be able to connect with a God who has not one
selfish fiber in His Being?
c. Have a spirit filled with faith.
(1) To be "without doubt" means to be "with faith."
(2) We must believe…
(a) That God cares.
(b) That God listens.
(c) And that God will answer prayer.
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