Faithful Praying
1 Timothy 2:1-15
The truth is, most
all people in church and many outside the church think they know how
to use the wonderful gift of prayer!
Prayer in its
simplest form is just talking to God, through the Holy Spirit, by the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Believe it or not,
we can just talk to God without asking Him for a thing!
We are to end our
prayers in the name of Jesus Christ because He is not only our Savior
but also our Intercessor.
Those who believe
they can lose their salvation are saying that the Lord Jesus Christ
is a failure, which is impossible!
Heb 7:25 Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
And for those who
are still confused, The Lord Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible and
there is no other God!
Knowing this, our
own prayer life is the most important tool in our arsenal when it
comes to dealing with everyday life in this world or anything else!
Prayer is so
important, that the Lord Jesus taught us to pray with the model
prayer.
We know that the
Lord Jesus Christ prayed constantly and everything He did was an
example for us!
The subject of is
this lesson is more about public prayer rather than closet prayer,
even though both type prayers can be very similar in content at
times.
Another thing, in
fact a major part of our prayer life, is that God expects us to put
aside our own needs, which He already knows, and pray for others, so
that can show that we are not just about self.
It should also be
clear to us in this quarter, God is teaching us about the
organization of the Church, that has Jesus Christ as the foundation.
The Church is formed
from all those who are faithful in following the lead of the Lord
Jesus Christ which was the message of Chapter 1.
It is only the
"faithful" who can truly expect to get the help of God!
There are people
praying all around this world, some many times each day, but they are
wasting their time if they do not know the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only Savior, and the only God, and they are yet sinners in need of
this Savior!
This may hurt but it
is still the truth!
Psa 66:18 If I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
Chapter 2 Verse 1
*****1Ti 2:1 I
exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers,
intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
1Ti 2:2 For kings,
and for all that are in authority; "that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty".
As we ended last
week’s lesson, we know that Paul had delivered Hymenaeus and
Alexander to Satan, because they were still his children and had no
part in the Church at Ephesus other than cause problems.
Immediately after
this Paul begins his instruction for public prayer or some would say
corporate prayer.
Supplications, are
those prayers imploring the help of God in a time of need.
Intercessory
prayers, are when believing people pray for others including those
who do not know our Savior.
The giving of
thanks, is a prayer directly to our Heavenly Father, to thank Him for
the things He has already done and for the things He is about to do,
if you pray in a heart of faith!
That phrase "for
all men" does not leave any one out!
In fact, "it is
our duty" to pray for the Church and the lost, no matter who
they are!
It is our duty to
pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
It is our duty to
pray for our national leaders and our nation!
We cannot refuse to
do the things that Jesus Christ did on earth and now in Heaven, if we
are to be like Him!
That word "exhort"
can mean "to encourage" but it can also mean a "desire"
that, as Christians and the Church, that we do not neglect, do not
ignore, and do not bypass any living human being when we pray.
It is sin to bypass
anyone in our prayers!
When we pray for the
helping the hand of God, we are acknowledging that God is the source
of all power!
If we do not have
faith that God is able fulfill our request, then we are wasting our
time praying!
Every person needs
prayer and those who are lost cannot reach into the throne room of
God, unless they are praying for their own salvation first, which He
will hear and answer immediately, if prayed in faith!
There are many
people who humble themselves before some false deity many times a
day, but if they all knew the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior they
would be heard.
Even if just God's
people would get serious about prayer, this world would take notice
of the power behind our prayers!
We should certainly
pray for those who are in authority, that they would make the right
decisions and they would have good councilors.
It would certainly
be hard to pray for evil rulers but even they can be saved!
We must consider
that when the Holy Spirit gave these words to Paul, it was Nero, a
most evil Roman ruler who ruled much of the world at that time and
the Christians were to pray for even him.
Why should we pray
for rulers? That we may lead a quiet and peaceful life in all
godliness and honesty.
We should pray that
we would always have the freedom to worship our God, the Lord Jesus
Christ
1Pe 2:17 Honour all
men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.
We could ask
ourselves why would be pray for evil rulers? The answer is that God
said so, Jesus Christ died for every human being who has ever lived
and because it is good and acceptable in the sight of our God, our
Savior.
*****1Ti 2:3 For
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
1Ti 2:4 Who will
have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the
truth.
We should pray for
our nation and its rulers because we know who sits on the throne in
Heaven and it is He that moves this world according to His own will!
We should pray for
all people to be saved!
God would have all
mankind to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth of the
Gospel".
If they all do not
want to be saved, then they would have least had the choice to be
saved!
The most wonderful
thing we know as Christians is that we have a God who saves because
He is a God of "Mercy"!
This most amazing
plan of God is that His will for all the world to be saved is the
motive behind all His actions in this world!
Therefore, God will
never change His actions because it would go against His will.
Anything that God
did against His plans for this world would be sin and God simply
cannot sin.
God can never go
against His written Word!
We may never
understand why God does the things He does, but we should understand
that He has our best interest in mind at all times!
God not only loves
those who come to the knowledge of His saving "Grace”, but we
must be aware that our Lord died for His enemies which we all were
before we understood the "Mercy" and the "Grace"
of our God, The Lord Jesus Christ!
Isa 45:22 Look unto
me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and
there is none else.
Isa 45:23 I have
sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness,
and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue
shall swear.
The thing that
religions hate the most is not that there is a God, but the fact that
our God, is the Lord Jesus Christ!
This truth that is
rejected by this world, but it is the only truth that you can reach
if you study the Word of God!
*****1Ti 2:5 For
there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus;
1Ti 2:6 Who gave
himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
If there were in
fact many Gods as the world chooses to believe, then there would be
many ways to get to Heaven but in fact this to goes against the Word
of the true God!
In Christianity when
we speak of God we speak of the Supreme Majesty of this universe, the
Creator, the Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ.
When we come to know
the Lord Jesus Christ then we will know His plan of salvation!
Jesus Christ is God
our Savior who gave Himself, a ransom for all, to physical death
therefore we are redeemed by His blood!
Col 1:14 In whom we
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the
image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him
were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for
him:
Col 1:17 And he is
before all things, and by him all things consist.
The key then to
salvation is not only be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ but also
to be wash in the "Word" of God!
1Jn_5:7 For there
are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, "the Word",
and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
Joh 1:1 In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God.
Joh_1:14 And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory,
the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and
truth.
And this means we
are washed in the blood of Jesus.
Since all these
things are true and there is only one God, then there is only one way
to reach Him and only one way to be saved!
Joh 14:6 Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me.
1Co 8:4 As
concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in
sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world,
and "that there is none other God but one".
Since all these
things are true and they are, then it is only those who are ordained
by the calling of the Lord Jesus Christ that we should listen to in
this world and not any other who would all be false!
*****1Ti 2:7
Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the
truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and
verity.
The Apostle Paul was
called specifically to reach out to the Gentiles with this amazing
plan of God and there were others who helped him.
Most of the other
Apostles were sent to the Jews with this same message of Jesus Christ
they were all martyred early except the Apostle John who died of old
age, still preaching the "Gospel" on his death bed.
There are no truer
words than the Word of God!
Ecc 12:9 And
moreover, because the preacher was wise, he still taught the people
knowledge; yea, he gave good heed, and sought out, and set in order
many proverbs.
Ecc 12:10 "The
preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was
written was upright, even words of truth".
Eph 3:7 Whereof I
was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given
unto me by the effectual working of his power.
Eph 3:8 Unto me,
who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I
should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Eph 3:9 And to make
all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the
beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things
by Jesus Christ:
The truth is as
humans who need God just to live in this world, then because of our
sin we needed a Mediator if we are to be saved when we approach God
and be acceptable to God.
Since not one of us
were perfect then we needed someone of perfection to reach out to our
Holy God who can only know those who are also holy!
The only way to be
acceptable of God is then for us to reach that perfection and be just
and righteous. God will reject all imperfect beings!
To solve this
problem then a perfect God had to become man in order for those who
could believe such a thing could be saved!
It is the Lord Jesus
Christ who solved that sin problem for us all!
God takes the faith
in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ and credits this faith as
righteousness and therefore acceptable to Him!
Heb 9:24 For Christ
is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the
figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the
presence of God for us:
Heb 9:27 And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:
Heb 9:28 So Christ
was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look
for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
Jesus Christ gave
Himself a ransom for all! Jesus Christ exchanged His life for the
life of all mankind!
Jesus arose from
that death to the astonishment of the world!
It is this same
message that we as Christians are to take into the world.
Not only this but we
are to pray that those who hear the "Gospel" of Jesus
Christ will believe and be saved!
God instructs all
those He calls to carry the message of Christ to the world, but God
also instructs us to pray for good results, fruit for their labor!
*****1Ti 2:8 I will
therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without
wrath and doubting.
Praying is just
having a conversation with God. The one most important thing in our
prayer life is to pray without doubting! We must pray in faith!
We can also say that
we do not have to have every word to be perfect because God looks
into the heart of the believer.
Sometimes we have a
hard time putting into words, what we really want to say.
Thank God for the
Holy Spirit who prayed for me!
As believers we can
pray everywhere, in any posture. In fact, as Christians we are be
like Jesus Christ, so let’s look at the prayer life of Christ.
**Jesus prayed while
He was being baptized:
Luk 3:21 Now when
all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being
baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the
Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a
voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee
I am well pleased.
**Jesus prayed in
public:
Joh 11:41 Then they
took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus
lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast
heard me.
Joh 11:42 And I
knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which
stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
**Jesus prayed in
private:
Joh 6:15 When Jesus
therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to
make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
**Jesus Prayed on
the mountain:
Mat 14:23 And when
he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to
pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.
**Jesus prayed in
the wilderness:
Luk 5:16 And he
withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
**Jesus got up early
to pray:
Mar 1:35 And in the
morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and
departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
**Jesus prayed all
night:
Luk 6:12 And it
came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray,
and continued all night in prayer to God.
Jesus prayed for
children:
Mat 19:13 Then were
there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands
on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them.
Mat 19:14 But Jesus
said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me:
for of such is the kingdom of heaven.
**Jesus prayed for
Peter's faith and He is no respecter of people:
Luk 22:32 But I
have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art
converted, strengthen thy brethren.
**Jesus prayed for
every believer:
Joh 17:9 I pray for
them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given
me; for they are thine.
Joh 17:20 Neither
pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word;
**Jesus had a
favorite place to pray:
Luk 22:39 And he
came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his
disciples also followed him.
Luk 22:40 And when
he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into
temptation.
Luk 22:41 And he
was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and
prayed,
Luk 22:42 Saying,
Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not
my will, but thine, be done.
**Jesus prayed even
while He was on the cross:
Luk 23:33 And when
they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they
crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the
other on the left.
Luk 23:34 Then said
Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they
parted his raiment, and cast lots.
**Jesus is praying
for us every day:
Heb 7:25 Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
If the Lord Jesus
Christ is our example, then we can see that our prayer life is the
most important thing we must build upon!
We need to be in
constant contact with our God!
1Th_5:17 Pray
without ceasing.
The Lord is teaching
us that we should never stop praying!
The phrase "lifting
up holy hands means we must always come before God with a clean
heart!
As I have already
said, there is no need to pray if we do not think God will hear us
and answer our prayer!
Mar 11:24 Therefore
I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe
that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
The fact is, God
will give us anything that corresponds to His will if we ask in
faith!
Were these things
written just for men? No but also to the women.
*****1Ti 2:9 "In
like manner" also, that women adorn themselves in modest
apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or
gold, or pearls, or costly array;
1Ti 2:10 But (which
becometh women professing godliness) with good works.
In a like manner the
women were to also pray without ceasing!
Another Scripture we
must also be clear on is this one:
Gal_3:28 There is
neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: "for ye are all one in Christ Jesus".
And we must keep in
mind that Paul is writing to Timothy and Timothy is pass these
instructions to the church.
Christian women are
to dress modestly which means clean, neat, and decent, and that word
adorn means to add to this modesty, behavior, and demeanor, that is,
the way a woman is to carry herself.
We could simply say
for a woman to be dressed in simple elegance.
When this same woman
was outside the church, no one would interpret her to be in any
sinful way by the way she dressed or the way she acted.
All men and the
women are to bring honor and glory to the Lord at all times, inside
and outside the church!
1Pe 3:1 Likewise,
ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey
not the word, they also may without the word be won by the
conversation of the wives;
1Pe 3:2 While they
behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear.
1Pe 3:3 Whose
adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair,
and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel;
1Pe 3:4 But let it
be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible,
even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight
of God of great price.
1Pe 3:5 For after
this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God,
adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands:
We all agree that
true beauty is on the inside and not on the outside!
The truth is, God
takes a godly woman and floods her with a beauty that is far beyond
any such beauty of just flesh and clothing!
*****1Ti 2:11 Let
the woman learn in silence with all subjection.
Just like the men,
the women are to be silent during the preaching of the Word of God!
Once she gets home
with her husband who is the head of the house and she, subject to
him, then they can discuss the message that God gave them on that
day.
We already know that
God is no respecter of persons, but He is a God of order.
1Co 14:40 Let all
things be done decently and in order.
In a greater sense,
every woman who is a child of God and a true believer, must learn all
she can about Jesus Christ just as the men!
2Ti 2:15 Study to
shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be
ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
This Scripture was
written for all men, all women, and all children!
Since God is a God
of order, then there are some things a woman must not do in the
church and we must use the home as the example.
The man is to be the
head of the home, "if he is following the Lord"!
*****1Ti 2:12 But I
suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but
to be in silence.
1Ti 2:13 For Adam
was first formed, then Eve.
1Ti 2:14 And Adam
was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the
transgression.
Christ is the head
of the home and Christ is the head of the Church.
The Christian man is
the head of the wife at home and at church, because God is still a
God of order in the Church.
So, a woman is not
to teach a man, and this would include the job of the Pastor not
being available to the woman.
The woman is to
never usurp the authority of the godly man!
Just as in the home,
the woman should always be involved with the teaching of the
children, but this does not relieve the same responsibility for the
man, who is also to help with the teaching and the discipling of the
children in the church.
We must always
remember, it is God's love that is, passed down to the man and the
woman, who are also to live in the love for each other in every
instance!
God simply says that
Adam was first formed before Eve and this settles the order of the
godly home and the true church!
God then says,
remember that it was Eve who was deceived and not the man, and that
it did led to the sin of Adam's disobedience, because of the love he
had for his wife, he forsook the commands of the Lord.
This is what God
demands.
This is what Paul
preached.
This is what Timothy
was to teach this church!
We cannot allow the
love of another human being to come between us and God, period!
Order is then based
on the facts. The man is more subject to forsake God, if the woman
becomes the head of man!
Again, we must never
forget that God is no respecter of persons, but the woman is to never
usurp the authority of the man, who is dedicated himself to the Lord!
The woman is never
to be in competition with the man, because she is the counterpart of
man and together they are "to be one" just as in the
marriage!
1Co 11:3 But I
would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the
head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.
The world does what
the world does, but we as Christians are told to come out from the
world and be subject to the law of God!
This is what we
agreed to, when we asked the Lord Jesus Christ to come into our
heart!
Women have always
played a great part in the close nit family.
Women have always
played a great part in the church.
Women will have to
play a great part in both as long as we are in this world!
There is one more
thing that may be considered. If a man is made to sit before a woman
for a long period of time, then the man may take his mind off the
message and place His eyes upon that woman and temptation may
overcome the man!
God knows us better
than we know ourselves!
Mat_5:28 But I say
unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath
committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Remember our lesson
is about faithful prayer and when things are out of the order of God,
it will seriously hinder our prayers!
*****1Ti 2:15
Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue
in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety.
We should remember
the curse of Eve.
Gen 3:16 Unto the
woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception;
in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to
thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
I believe we can say
that the woman’s primary intention has never been about teaching in
the church but primarily about bearing children and teaching them in
the home and then teaching in the church if they are called of God to
do so, just as the man who is called of God!
We can be sure that
the Holy Ghost placed that Holy seed in Mary, but it was Mary who
bore that child for those 9 months and then mothered the Lord Jesus
Christ until He reached the Jewish age of maturity!
The woman will
always have a special place in the family and in the church.
Our own prayer life
will guide us in all these things!
Amen
Let's Pray
