I invite you to turn with me in your copy of the New Testament to First Timothy, chapter number two. Once again, First Timothy, chapter number two. It was in 1 Timothy chapter number three, verses 14 and 15, that the Apostle Paul explained his purpose for writing this letter or this epistle to Timothy. It was there in chapter three, verses 14 and 15, he said, these things I write to you so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of the truth. So this epistle, this letter, what we know of as First Timothy, helps us order and arrange the house of God at Fourth Baptist. Specifically this morning, chapter two, verses one through eight, instructs us on the priority and the practice of prayer. If you look at First Timothy chapter two with me, verse number one, It says, I exhort first of all, that is a designation of priority, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made. That is a description of practice. There is a designation of priority, first of all, and then there's a designation of practice. So from 1 Timothy, chapter two, verses one through eight, I've prepared a message titled The Priority and the Practice of Practice. Let's go to the Lord this morning in prayer as we come to his holy word. Let's pray. God in heaven, as we've been exhorted this morning from both the choir and the ladies trio, I pray that you would help us to still our souls, to be still in this moment as we come to your holy, sacred word. I pray, God, that you would help us by your spirit to understand the instruction of your word Lord, specifically this morning how we ought to be men and women, people of prayer, a church of prayer. I pray God that you would arrest our attention and our affection that we might be drawn to these truths and our responsibilities. We commit our study to you now in Jesus' name I pray, amen. Before we examine and outline these verses, this text this morning, I want to introduce the topic of prayer or the matter of prayer in a topical manner. And I want to begin by identifying some common problems in our practice of prayer, problems that perhaps we're all guilty of. And they're printed there as bullet points in your notes. There is first a problem that we have. It's the problem of hypocrisy. hypocrisy that is turning prayer into a public performance. And at times we are called upon to pray before others perhaps at a meal or perhaps at a meeting at those times it's easy to become self-conscious. We are publicly praying we're fearful of what others think about our spirituality as they hear us pray and our prayer becomes a performance. Jesus warned, even rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy when they prayed to impress other people. And so we may be guilty of the same hypocrisy. There's also the problem of formality when we pray. Formality, that's limiting prayer to a specific time or place or to a special time or place. It's certainly appropriate to thank the Lord when we sit down for a meal. Certainly, when we assemble together, we pray together, but in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 17, we're called to pray without ceasing. That is, we ought to communicate with God. We ought to commune with the Lord anytime and anywhere, at every time and everywhere. We must be careful lest our prayers become a formality at designated times and places. There's another problem we struggle with, perhaps, in our prayer, and that's the matter of passivity. Passivity is using prayer as a substitute for action. And at times we might deflect or escape a matter by saying, well, I'll have to pray about that, right? And maybe we should have prayed about it, maybe we should pray about it, or maybe it's just a lazy excuse because we don't need to pray about everything. We don't need to pray about sharing the gospel. We don't need to pray about forgiving our brother. We don't need to pray over clear areas of obedience or disobedience. In some cases, we need to get off of our knees and get on our feet and do something, right? And so we might err by using prayer as an excuse, a point of passivity to escape a responsibility. There's a problem of emergency in our prayers. That's making prayer a last resort. I like to call these flare prayers. When we're in danger or we're stranded, when all else has failed, we fire our flare gun, we fire off around toward heaven hoping that God will see the flash and come to our rescue. And it fascinates me that although prayer is banned in most areas of public life, when there is a great tragedy, perhaps a school shooting, immediately the public is called to pray, right, for the victims of that event. And here in 1 Timothy 2, verses one through eight, Paul helps us correct, I think, some of these problems in prayer, and also gives us a proper understanding of the priority and the practice of prayer, as a church. So then, directly now from the text, number one, the components of prayer. The components of prayer, verse number one, therefore I exhort, first of all, that's the priority. that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made. These are the components of prayer. There are four components there in verse number one that Paul lists. And although they're nearly synonymous, I'd like to nuance them a bit for us in this way. First is supplication. supplication. It's a request to meet a need. And this is most often the impetus for our prayers. This is why we pray. We pray because we need something. It's the Bible commentator William Barclay who's written that prayer begins with a conviction that we cannot deal with life ourselves And that sense of human weakness is the basis of all approach to God. Why is it that any of us would pray at any given time? Because we need something, we need some help. And so in our helplessness, in our hopelessness, we go to God in supplication. Making requests, God help me. A request to satisfy a need. Another component here is just prayer. Prayer, that general term of prayer, it emphasizes the sacredness of the activity. We're addressing God. And prayer is a holy matter. Paul then also gives us the component of intercession. An intercession is an appeal offered on behalf of another. It includes empathy and sympathy and compassion. This intercession is also an activity of the Holy Spirit. Romans chapter eight verse 26 tells us that the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us. It's also the activity of Jesus Christ. Romans 834 says that Jesus makes intercession for us. And so we too ought to go to God the Father on behalf of one another. As a first point of priority and practice in the local church, we ought to be interceding for one another. How do we do that practically? Well, we try to help facilitate the sharing of needs through our church office. And each week, the church office prepares and prints a prayer bulletin, a midweek prayer reminder sheet that's also emailed electronically to our church family, to those of you that inform us of a need that you have, that you would want the church family to be interceding for you on behalf of that matter. Every week at our weekly pastoral staff meeting on Monday mornings, we pray for you, we intercede for you. We also do that every Sunday morning before our services. All of your pastors huddle up in my office and we pray for the day, for our services, and for you as we're aware of your needs. And as a first point of priority, and as a practice in the local church, we ought to be interceding together for one another. And so the components of prayer, the supplication, the prayer, the intercession, there's a fourth, and that's thanksgiving. And you see it there at the end of verse number one. First of all, that supplications, prayer, intercessions, and giving thanks be made. for all men, and in prayer, we give thanks to God, we give praise to God, we thank Him for our need, we thank Him for hearing and meeting our needs, we thank Him for who He is, for what He's done, and we pray with thanksgiving. Often, we... Often our habit is letter A. We pray for ourselves and our needs. At times we toss in a few of letter C, some intercessions for one another. In our address to God, however, many times we are short on our thanksgiving. I know that we would be a people that, first of all, and regularly thank God for his blessings to us. Our prayer ought to include these components, the components of prayer. Secondly, then, Paul gives us the objects of prayer, the objects of prayer. And to be honest, most often I am the object of my prayer, right? I pray for myself and I pray for my needs, my wants, my welfare, but our prayer ought to include others. In fact, all others, all men, verse number one, for all men, you see it there at the end of verse number one? We're to pray in these ways for all men. And that doesn't mean all seven billion or eight billion maybe now humans on the planet Earth today, but it means all kinds of men, all categories of men. Verse two then gives us some of the tough categories of mankind, that's kings and authority, giving thanks be made for all men, for kings, verse number two, and all who are in authority. Now this would have been hard for Timothy to receive. This would have been hard for the early church to swallow because the king or the emperor was Nero. And Nero was a Christian killing machine. And here Paul is charging Timothy and the church to pray with thanksgiving for Nero, for the authorities there in Rome were persecutors at the time, the politicians were corrupt, and Paul was telling the churches to pray for them, yes, even our enemies as Jesus taught. Turn your outline over there and note what the second and third century theologian Tertullian wrote. He said, without ceasing, for all our emperors, we offer prayer. We pray for life prolonged, for security to the empire, for protection to the imperial house, for brave armies, a faithful senate, a virtuous people, the world at rest, whatever. As a man or Caesar, an emperor would wish. These things I cannot ask from any but the God from whom I know I shall obtain them, both because he alone bestows them and because I have claims upon him for their gift as being a servant of his, rendering homage to him alone. The next paragraph that I've copied for you there in your notes is from another second century apologist Theophilus of Antioch. I will rather honor the king not indeed worshiping him but praying for him. But God the living and true God I worship knowing that the king is made by him honor the king be subject to him and pray for him with a loyal mind. For if you do this you do the will of God. Of course, we have local, state, and national leadership that we must pray for, even if it's painful at times. We ought to pray for these in authority, in leadership. In fact, if you're still looking at the back of your outlines, you might say, Pastor Matt, why are you quoting dead theologians, right? Let me give you a living theologian. Pastor, teacher John MacArthur, he says this, if the church today took the time and energy it spends on political maneuvering and lobbying and pour them into intercessory prayer, we might see a profound impact on our nation. Paul's exhortation is to pray for every kind of person. It's easy to pray for ourselves, it's easy to pray for our friends, that's easy. But for our enemies? for Timothy and the first century church, for those in government, those in authority, when that government is corrupt and wicked and contrary to the Christian faith, that's hard. Let's pick up in verse number two again. Well, if you'll indulge me, let me begin with verse one again. Therefore I exhort first of all, there's the priority, that supplication, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men. This is the practice, specifically for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. Verse three, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. I'm gonna title this, number three, the benefits of prayer. Number three, the benefits of prayer. There's a clear purpose statement, the end of verse number two, that we may. That's a purpose statement. Why are we doing this? For this reason, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life, the end of verse two there. And that's what we want after all, isn't it? Just give me some peace and quiet. I call that first benefit enjoying life. If you pray for those in authority, whether it is your politicians, or your parents, or even your pastor, you will enjoy life. How about that as a promise? Pray for me and you'll enjoy your life. That's good. The secret, here's the secret. You cannot hold a grudge. You cannot be bitter or angry toward those for whom you're praying, even your enemies. Think of Jesus' sermon on the mount in Matthew chapter five when he was introducing an entirely new paradigm of a right response to those who oppress us. And Jesus said in Matthew five verse 44, he said, pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you. So that purpose statement here, that you may lead a quiet and peaceable life. Quiet and peaceable are nearly synonymous terms. However, the word quiet there, I'm looking at the, where am I looking, the end of verse number two, quiet can refer to the absence of outside disturbances. Peaceable might refer to the absence of internal disturbances. Quiet and peaceable. And maybe you have an authority. Maybe your boss. Maybe you have an enemy. Could also be your boss. Maybe there are some that make you miserable in this life. Pray for them and you will find that you will have the ability to enjoy life. Maybe that's even in a strange relationship where every time you see that other, perhaps you even hear of that other, maybe you see someone drive past with the same car as that other. and it triggers your thought of that other, and it makes you stressed, or anxious, or angry, or bitter, pray for them, so that your joy is not robbed in that moment, just at the memory of that other. And I confess to you, I confess to you that over the years, I have been driving down the road, and I have seen a car, and I know that that other, years before, had that same car. And what happens, I get full of, of emotion, maybe hurt, maybe anger. And in that moment, I am not enjoying life. I am fussing. I am not still in my soul, as we heard sung this morning. The benefit of prayer for others is that we might enjoy a quiet and peaceable life. Now, there's a second benefit here. And at first glance, we look to verse three to find that prayer not only will give us joy, make us happy, it makes God happy, right? Look there at the text, verse number three. Our prayer is good and acceptable to God. So if we want God's favor, then we ought to pray. And if we pray, we benefit from God's favor. It seems clear that the second benefit to prayer is that it helps us please God. Well, okay, but before you fill in your blank or you look to the screen, verse four finishes the sentence that verse three began. The reason our prayer is good and acceptable to God, verse three, is because, or should I say when, it's consistent with God's heart. Verse four tells us that God desires all men to be saved. Now follow this. Part of the substance of our prayer for kings and authorities ought to be that they become believers, that they come to the knowledge of the truth, namely Jesus Christ, the way, the truth, and the life. So while verse four may seem to be an abrupt interruption to Paul's instruction on the subject of prayer, I believe it's the central to this whole point. So the benefit of our prayer is more than our enjoyment in life. It is for God's pleasure when the lost are evangelized, when those kings and those in authority receive the truth and are saved. Evangelism or evangelizing of the lost. God desires all men to be saved, even those enemies who are in authority over you. Now, we need to pause here for a moment. Verse number four, well the end of verse three, God our Savior who desires all men to be saved. At times, God's desire is different than God's determination. And you need to note this, even write this down. For example, you may desire to take a day off of work. yet you determine to go to work anyway, to earn a wage, to support your family because it's the right thing to do. Your determination transcends your desire so that you choose differently. God genuinely desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. But God's determination is different than God's desire. God has not chosen to save everyone universally. Rather, he has chosen to save those who accept his son Jesus Christ by faith. So what I've said to you might be a bit unsettling, but it's important to understand because often in our human logic, we object. Well, if God desires that everyone be saved, then why isn't everybody saved? Because God's desire is different than God's determination. His desire is that all be saved. So to pray in a way that is good and acceptable in the sight of God, of God our Savior, verse number three, we need to pray that these kings, these authority, all of these men, even our nemesis or our enemy, come to the knowledge of the truth. We can also pray in similar Complimentary ways we can pray that the Lord will send forth laborers, Matthew 9 verse 38. We need to pray for those laborers. We need to pray that the gospel would have free course. Second Thessalonians 3 verse 1, Paul said pray for us that the word of the Lord might have free course. We need to pray for the lost. And so here in the text I'm convinced that the second benefit to prayer that pleases God is the salvation of the lost. Verse number five, for there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle. I'm speaking the truth in Christ and not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. These verses give us, number four, the basis for prayer. The basis for prayer. Now, I wanna present the basis for prayer in an inverted order, in a backwards order, as is given in the text. So I wanna first give you what's in verse six, then I'll give you what's in verse number five, all right? Verse number six, The basis for our prayer is an acceptable sacrifice. Jesus was that sacrifice. Verse six, who gave himself a ransom for all. Jesus was that sacrifice. He was the perfect lamb of God without sin. And in the Old Testament, God established the sacrificial system as a means of atoning for sin and making peace with God. Jesus is that final acceptable sacrifice that gives us approach to God, even as we just sang a moment ago. You can read the book of Hebrews, an acceptable sacrifice. It is because of Jesus' work on the cross that we have any approach to God because of that acceptable sacrifice. Now, back in verse number five, back in verse five, then we have an acceptable mediator. Jesus is the one singular, one mediator. In the Old Testament, you know that God established the priesthood as a go-between, as a liaison, as a mediator between God and man. But the God-man, Christ Jesus, became our high priest. And since there is one God, there is only need for one mediator. Jesus Christ is the acceptable mediator that gives us an approach to God. Again, read the book of Hebrews. And this basis or this foundation for our prayer is not of a human priest, but of the person, the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul now links verse eight then to the previous verses. Maybe in your English copy of the Bible there's perhaps a paragraph break, perhaps there's some other topical division, but I'd like to keep verse eight with verses one through seven. Why is that? Because it's the very same theme, and we have the word therefore there, I desire therefore, So because of verses 1-7, verse number 8, therefore if you read in verse 9 you read the word likewise or in the same manner which indicates a new matter. But verses 1-8 addressing men or mankind, verses 9 and following he speaks primarily of women and we'll address that next week of course. Finally, verse number eight, I desire therefore, because of verses one through seven, I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. So I'm gonna call this, on the back of your notes here, of course now, number five, the preparation for prayer. The preparation for prayer. The instruction in verse 8 is to lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting or disputing. Lifting up holy hands. The suggested posture for prayer. It was customary for Jewish men to pray with their arms extended, their hands open to heaven. But there are actually many postures of prayer that we find in the Bible. I've not given these to you in your notes, but let me just rattle off a number of them. Jeremiah 18, standing. 1 Kings 8, standing without stretched arms. Daniel chapter six, kneeling. 2 Samuel 7, sitting. Genesis 24, bowing the head. John 17, lifting the eyes. Genesis 17, falling on the ground. Matthew 26, lying prostrate on the ground. And there are others. Our traditional posture of prayer, perhaps in the modern West, is the bowing of the heads, maybe the folding of the hands, the closing of the eyes. In fact, I remember growing up, I feel like every preacher before prayer would say, every head bowed, every eye closed, right? And we adopt that posture of prayer. It's nowhere found in the scriptures specifically that we're commanded in every specific way. However, I do think it's helpful for us to remove distraction and demonstrate reverence. I think it's appropriate. to have a posture of prayer that is distinct and unique. But the important thing is not the posture of the body. You can pray in the shower, you can pray while driving the car, you understand, right? But the preparation of the heart is then, I think what he also highlights here, what I'm gonna call the necessary purity for prayer. And you see it there in verse number eight, lifting up holy hands without wrath and dispute. And so the necessary purity for prayer, and I don't have these as subpoints, but I think there's two. One is the holy hands. The preparation for prayer demands holy hands. In the Bible, clean hands are symbolic of a blameless life. And if we harbor sin in our life, we cannot expect God to answer our prayers. In fact, that's what David said in Psalm 66. If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And so the necessary purity for prayer, holy hands, and then secondly, a holy heart. And that's what I think the wrath or the anger here and the disputing, these are issues of the heart. If there is hostility between you and a brother or you and your spouse or you and that boss, if there is harbored sin in your heart, you cannot pray as you ought. What folly is there for us to go to God in prayer on our knees, folding our hands, eyes closed, head bowed, arms, whatever the case, but yet in our heart we are harboring sin and we lack that necessary purity, holy hands and a holy heart. One Bible commentator explains it this way, it's there at the bottom of your notes in the back side. The early church understood such purity to be a condition of acceptable prayer. When we pray, our communication is with a holy God. He requires of us that we deal with our sins before making our approach. In fact, might I suggest this approach. Dear God, in heaven above, I hallow your name. This is the Lord's Prayer. Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be your name. God, in heaven above, I hallow your name. And then, immediately, on the basis of Jesus Christ, my High Priest, who shed his blood for my sin, please forgive me." Forgive us our debts, right? And we approach God with that purification as being a first order of business before we inform God of all that he needs to do for us as soon as possible. Lord, I come with clean hands, holy hands, pure heart, holy hearts. I approach you in the name of Jesus. That's why we pray in Jesus' name, amen, because without Jesus, there is no approach. He's our acceptable sacrifice. He's our acceptable mediator. First Timothy two, I'm sorry, verses one through eight can be summarized with what I've written there at the top of your notes on the front side. When ordering and arranging our conduct in the church, first of all, we ought to pray as we pray. So ask yourself the question this morning, do I pray as I ought? God in heaven, we come to you in Jesus' name. We come to you, Lord, with confession, with contrition, with brokenness. We're so thankful for the Lord Jesus Christ, our high priest, our one mediator. We're thankful for the Holy Spirit who makes intercession for us. Lord, we're thankful that you have promised to hear us. Lord, we bring our petition to you. We also bring our praise and thanksgiving to you. Lord, this morning our desire is that you might be pleased by our priority and practice of prayer. For I pray this in Jesus' name, amen.