And if you would, turn to 1 Timothy 2. I have a very important topic this morning. Evangelistic praying is the topic. From this text of Scripture, 1 Timothy 2, verses 1 to 8. Therefore I exhort, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 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. 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 apostle, I am speaking the truth in Christ, I am not lying, a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. I desire, therefore, that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. Join me in prayer. Heavenly Father, I thank you for your word and the guidance of your word and how we should live our lives. And I pray, Lord, that we will take to heart the message and that this church, as well as each individual, be impacted by its truth. And I pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. In our text today, we're going to learn about the importance of evangelistic praying. The prophet Samuel practiced intercessory prayer. In 1 Samuel 12, 23, he says, As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in not praying for you. Paul wrote in Romans 10, 1, My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. The Lord Jesus is the great example of evangelistic praying. In Isaiah 53 and verse 12, we have the prophecy that Jesus would pray for the transgressors. On the cross, Jesus prayed for those who crucified Him, saying, Father, forgive them. And so this morning, we have a clear example and clear teaching from Scripture that we are to pray for the salvation of unbelievers. but not just unbelievers that we know, but we are to broaden our prayers for unbelievers, to include all men as Apostle Paul indicates here. John Knox, the great reformer, practiced this kind of prayer when he said, give me Scotland or I die. And so this morning we're going to see the importance of evangelistic intercessory prayer. And the importance is indicated in verse 1 where Paul introduces this subject by saying, first of all, of all things that we are to be about as Christians and as a church, first of all we are to pray for the salvation of unbelievers. In verses 4 to 7, he talks about evangelism. And the beginning point of evangelism is always prayer that they may be saved. And so this morning, let's delve into this important subject. And I'm going to begin by saying this. Notice the nature of evangelistic praying. In verse 1, Paul uses different words for prayer. The second word is the general word for prayer. And so I'm going to focus on the three other expressions of prayer that help us to understand what should be involved in our prayers. First of all, we are to pray with a sense of need. Paul uses that word supplications, and it's based on a root word that refers to a need or a lack. And so when we pray, we recognize our need. We recognize what is lacking in our lives. And we pray to the one who is best able to meet the needs of our lives and the lives of other people. And so prayer is recognizing a need. Recognizing the need for salvation and praying that God would save souls. We are to pray for God is the only one that can save. God is the one that has to work in their hearts. And so we recognize needs and therefore we pray. Furthermore, we pray out of concern for others. The word translated intercessions is only found here in the New Testament. It's not a common word for prayer. But it gives the mental picture of going to someone for a visit, to meet with them. And the word is often used of meeting with a superior in order that you may present your petitions to that superior. And even so, we are to meet with God in prayer. We are to enter into a time of fellowship with God in prayer. And then we petition God with our prayer requests, which certainly should include intercessions on behalf of others, especially for their salvation. And then the final word for prayer is thanksgiving. Every prayer should include thanksgiving to God. And in the context of verse 2, we are to thank God for the ones who are willing to serve in leadership, in political office, considering the burdens that they bear. We are to pray for guidance. We are to pray for their strength. But we are to thank God for these political leaders. We are to thank God for the benefits we receive from our government, whether it be national defense or infrastructure or what have you. We can always thank God. We have much to be thankful for. That's always to be a part of our prayer. But notice, secondly, this morning, the scope of evangelistic praying. For whom should we pray? How broadly are we to pray? Well, the last of verse 1 says we are to pray for all men. For all people, it can be translated. Too often our prayers are confined to our personal needs and when we pray for others, it's mainly our family, our church family, our friends, but the Bible says that we are to broaden our prayers to include all people. And why is that? Well, verse 4 indicates that God desires for all to be saved, and Jesus died as a ransom for all, therefore we are to pray for all people. You know, Jesus said you're even to pray for your enemies. Matthew chapter 5 and verse 44. So I want to encourage you to broaden who you pray for, especially evangelistically. And let me give you one suggestion. Probably five, six, seven years ago, I signed up for BlessEveryHome.com. And if you'll do that, you will get an email of five of your neighbors, their name and address that you can pray for their salvation and their well-being. But Paul gives, in verse 2, some specific examples of who we are to pray for. Not just family, church family, friends, but we are to pray also for our political leaders, as he indicates there. For kings and all who are in authority. Now, when was the last time you prayed for your political leaders? This week? Can you remember whether you have prayed for them? You know who was the number one king in Paul's day? It would be the emperor. Do you know who was the emperor at this particular time? It was Nero. And oh, how he needed prayer. He was one bad dude. And we are to pray for him. We're to pray for for guidance. We're to pray that they make the right decisions. We are to pray that God will strengthen them as they bear heavy responsibilities. We are to pray for their health and safety and well-being. The last of verse two, that they will allow us to live a quiet and peaceable life. In other words, that there would be peace and tranquility, which affects the spread of the gospel. And so instead of publicly criticizing our political leaders, it was more biblical to pray for our political leaders. And so, yes, we pray for President Biden. I don't agree with a lot of his policies, We are to pray for whoever is our president, whoever wins this election. We are to pray for them. We're to pray for our senators. We are to pray for Governor Youngkin. We are to pray for local leaders. Susan serves on the school board. We pray for her as well. All of those in authority, the Bible says we are to pray for. Imagine what would happen if there would be an earnestness to pray for all of our political leaders and God were to work in the capitals of our land and there would be a great turning to God in the capital offices of our land. In fact, there's a ministry called Capital Commission, which has an online prayer guide for you to pray for your political leaders. David Anderson heads up that ministry. So we are to pray, pray for all men. And don't forget to pray for our political leaders. But thirdly, we see from our text the desired result of this. Yes, we are to pray for their salvation. And I tell you what, there are some political leaders, it's rather obvious, they're not saved. If they're saved, then I don't know what salvation is, but we pray for their salvation. But in the last of verse 2, one reason why we pray for our political leaders is that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. That word quiet means free from outside disturbance. You realize in the preamble of our United States Constitution, it is stated that one of the primary purposes of government is to ensure domestic tranquility. That is based on this very verse of Scripture, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life. And I tell you what, I haven't seen much domestic tranquility the last four years. Have you? Have we been praying like we ought to? We're to pray. Listen, government has a vital function in preserving domestic tranquility. And if you don't have good leaders of your government, then you're more likely to have disturbance and even anarchy. How would you like to live in Haiti today? where the government is weak and gangs are ruling the cities and the countryside. Oh, we need to pray for freedom from war. Oh, may war not come to the soil of the United States of America. And yet we need to pray for Ukraine and Russia and the Middle East and everywhere else there's armed conflicts that there would be peace, the political leaders would sit down and negotiate peace. You know what Paul says is fully consistent, I believe, with Jeremiah chapter 29 and verse 7. God had sent Israel into captivity and God commanded them, Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive and pray the Lord for it For its peace, you shall have peace. The Roman Empire. One of the good things about the Roman Empire is that it brought peace over much of the world in that particular time, which facilitated the spread of the gospel in the first, second, and third centuries. And so we pray that we may live peaceable lives. And also, verse 2, is also a prayer that the government will leave us alone, that we can just practice our faith and serve our King, the Lord Jesus Christ, praying that Nero won't persecute us. But yet, you know what, based on the chronology of when 1 Timothy was written, it's likely that about a year later Nero began his persecution of Christians. Did Christians pray for Nero like they should have? And so we as Christians are to live peaceable and tranquil lives as Paul says here. In 1 Thessalonians 4, verses 11 and 12, Paul says that you aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands that you may walk properly toward those who are outside. We must never attempt to disrupt society or create disturbances which can hurt our witness to unbelievers. 2 Thessalonians 3, 11 and 12 speaks of those, in contrast, who walk among you disorderly, not working at all, but are busy-bodied. Now those who are such, we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread. The church is not in this society to be political agitators. We are to be model citizens, a quiet, peace-loving people. Now it's one thing to speak out and we have freedom of speech in this country, or we're supposed to. We're to be able to speak what we believe is contrary to biblical principles. But it's one thing to speak against policy, it's another thing to slander a political leader. There's a difference. And we need to be careful that we're not among those who engage in political violence. That's totally contrary to this passage of Scripture. And Paul was not just interested in peaceable relationships with the governing authorities, but also to foster spiritual growth because the last of verse 2 says that we want to be able to live our lives in all godliness and reverence. Godliness there refers to piety, religious devotion. The word translated reverence actually refers to a dignity of life that commands respect. God wants us to so live as Christians that even unbelievers respect us because we have a sense of purpose, we have a sense of morality, we have a sense of right and wrong, we're interested in the well-being of all people, and we pray for the salvation of all people. There's a fourth truth that I see in this text of Scripture, and that is the reasons why we should pray evangelistically. for all people. First of all, because it's morally good. Paul says in verse 3, For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. He's probably pointing back to the command of verse 1. And that word good means that which is good morally, that which is admirable, that which is beautiful. Listen, praying and having a heart and concern for the salvation of all people is good and admirable. It is beautiful. The greatest good you can do for someone is to pray for their salvation. But it is also God's will that we pray for all people. The last of verse three says that this is acceptable in the sight of God, our Savior. The word acceptable means to Welcome to delight in. Listen, when you pray for the loss, God delights in that kind of praying. Probably more than just about any kind of praying you can engage in. And notice that He refers to God and Christ as Savior. Christ came to be a Savior. He wants to save people from their sins. Let us pray for the salvation of people. And then in verse 4 it's specifically stated that it's God's will to save all people. Do you see that? Who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. God desires to save all people regardless of their race or their ethnicity or their location or their spiritual condition or their status in society. God desires to save all people. When you pray for the salvation of someone, you don't have to doubt whether or not it's God's will to save them. 2 Peter 3, 9 says, The Lord is not slack concerning His promises. Some men count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Even the Old Testament declares that God desires the salvation of all people. Isaiah 45 verse 22 God said look unto me and be saved all the ends of The earth for I am God and there is none else If you Or someone you're praying for ends up in a devil's hell It will not be because God willed it that way They will be going to hell over the crucified body of Jesus Christ who died for them. God wants all people to be saved, but he will not force anyone to be saved. And why is it that Paul, in this passage of Scripture, perhaps more than any other he has written, emphasizes the universality of salvation? that God desires all to be saved. Well, I believe it's because of the false teachers in Ephesus that he talked about in verses 3 and 4 in chapter 6. They probably taught that salvation is for them and their group, those who follow them, a very limited scope of salvation, but Paul said that God wants all people to be saved. But you know, this evangelistic praying for all people is also consistent with God's nature and person. We're to pray for all people because verse 5 says, There is one God and one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. We're to pray for all people because there's one God. One God. There's not a God for the Chinese and gods for the people in India and various gods for people in Africa and other countries, folks. There's only one God who created all people. Therefore, God wants all people to be saved. And there is one mediator between God and men, Paul says. Just one. How can anyone come to a holy God when they're sinful? We've all sinned. There's another all for you. We've all sinned. How can we approach a holy God? Well, some say, well, you can go this way, you can go that way, you can go that way, you can go this way. All religions ultimately lead to God. Baloney! Because there's one mediator. There's only one that God has appointed. There's only one who died as a ransom for all, and that is Jesus. There's one mediator between God and man. Acts 4.12 says, neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Listen, you can't get to God by Mother Mary or by your priest or by your pastor or by some angel or some saint that has been declared by the Catholic Church. Listen, the only one that can get you to God is Jesus. He's one mediator between God and man, Paul says. You know, we're living in a pluralistic age where the emphasis is on pluralism. Again, that all religions lead to God. There are many ways to God. Do you know how we counter that kind of thinking? One way is by emphasizing that there is a universal love that God has for the whole world. God wants all people to be saved. God wants to include everyone in His family. And God can bring all people into one family if they'll only believe in Jesus. That's the kind of pluralism that we ought to be talking about. A gospel and a Savior for all nations. But this prayer for all people, as I've already hinted at, is consistent also with the work of Christ in verse 6. who gave himself for a ransom for all to be testified in due time. That word translated ransom not only emphasizes the payment of a price to set a slave free, which is the original context, but it's a payment that involves an exchange. Kind of like I will become your slave if you set Him free. That's the depth of the ransom Jesus paid. I will die His death. I will bear His sins. I will pay His price if you will only set Him free. And that's exactly what Jesus Christ did for you and for me. Christ died for all people, but the problem is not everyone will believe in Him. Not everyone will trust in Him. The problem is not with God or with Jesus. The problem is with your own choice if you're not saved. Imagine they finally develop a medicine that's 100% effective against cancer, and yet some people don't take the medicine, and so they die of cancer. Only ones that take the medicine are cured. And so where's the problem? The problem is not with the medicine. The problem is with your willingness to take the medicine. Jesus is the one that can save our soul. And so we need to pray for the lost. We need to pray that God would enlighten them, help them to see their need of Christ because of their sin, help them to see that Christ is the way, the truth, and the life, and that He can give us a forgiveness and eternal life. But I must conclude, as Paul does in verse 8, with one other important point about intercessory prayer. and that is the requirement for effective evangelistic prayer. Paul says in the last of verse 8 that we should pray lifting up, men in particular, should pray lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. Now, it was a common posture among Jews to pray with uplifted hands, but that's not the main point here. The main point is that when you pray, you should lift up what kind of hands? holy hands. In other words, if you are not living a holy life, it is going to interfere with your prayers, the effectiveness of your prayers. Psalm 24, verses 3 to 4 says, Who may ascend unto the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart is the answer. Psalm 66, 18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. And so when you pray, you need to be sure that you're praying from a life that is walking with God. And when you sin, you confess that sin and receive forgiveness. And so once again, you're walking in holiness. That is so very, very important. But you know, there's one area that he specifically mentions that we've got to be careful about. He says, we're to pray without wrath and doubting. Actually, that word doubting probably should be translated like strife. Because the two go in hand, without wrath and strife. Wrath actually refers to a settled disposition of anger. Have you ever had that, where you stay angry with somebody? Not just till the sun goes down, but for days, and for weeks, and for months. And if you've got anger in your heart towards someone, and you're trying to pray to God, my friend, if you're not right with your brother, it's going to be hard for you to be right with God. And it's going to hinder your prayer. And he says you need to lift up holy hands praying without strife, without disputing. Can you imagine that people come to church and get into arguments and then it's time to pray and so let's pray. Now how's that going to work out? My church that I pastored for 34 years, we had a Friday morning men's prayer breakfast. And so we would get together at seven o'clock on Friday morning, and we'd gather around the table, and we'd open up our Hardee's biscuit, and we would talk. You know what we'd talk about? We'd talk about the ball game, we'd talk about, you know, men's stuff. But every now and then, some of the brethren would get into an argument around the table before prayer. Now, you tell me how good and effective was their prayer when they argued right before they prayed. It's kind of like running out of fuel in a hot air balloon. You're not going up, your prayers are just going down. And so that's why Paul says we are to pray, men in particular, without wrath in your heart and without disputing with your brothers in Christ, and so what should we do? Verse 8, the word men specifically refers to men, not women, men. Men, this is an instruction for men. Man, I don't know why it got into me that I preached Timothy, because I got to preach about women next Sunday. Women come up next, but men, men, we need to take the lead in praying, praying at home, praying at The restaurant praying at work when we have free time, praying in the hospitals when we visit, and so forth. We need to gather for prayer in the way that Paul describes here. And we are to pray especially for the lost. Intercede on behalf of the lost. There are still some of these dovetail intercessory cards back there. We would pray for three to five people that we know that are lost between now and the crusade and pray that God would do a great saving work in this upcoming crusade and that we might even have the joy of seeing someone we prayed for get saved at that crusade. We are to pray for our political leaders. Yes, we're in that political season. Don't forget to pray. for all of our political leaders and those who are running for office, that God's protection and guidance would be upon them. Will you join me in prayer? Heavenly Father, you've taught us to pray especially for the salvation of people and to be expansive in our prayers. And Lord, help us to be more mindful in the coming days to understand the priority of praying for the lost, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.