Evangelistic Prayer – Part 3 – 1 Timothy 2:8

Eight lesson in a verse by verse series through 1 Timothy. This lesson looks at the responsibilities of the men in the assembly to take a leading role in prayer.

This Section: Moves from the more general charge of chapter 1 to the outlining of specific duties. Commences next major division in the Epistle which is chapter 2 & 3 that deals with the structure and public life of the local assembly. Chapter 2 covers the role of men and women in the public life of the church and chapter 3 covers the qualifications of Bishops and Deacons.

Vs. 1-8: The responsibility of the church (men in particular) to pray for the lost. The exhortation to prayer is in the context of the theme. It is prayer in the house of God as opposed to private prayer.

The rich, doctrinal statements of Vs. 4 to 7 are sandwiched between the Apostle’s exhortation to prayer in Vs. 1-3 and Vs. 8. Hence the theme is clearly the responsibility of the church in the area of praying for the salvation of souls. Refer Philippians 2:5-11 for a similar structure.

The Command (Vs. 8a)

1. It’s Authority: “I will” = Apostolic directive
2. It’s Basis: ‘therefore’ = upon the basis of the teaching of the previous verses. For example: God’s desire for the salvation of all men; the truth that Christ is the only Mediator and the ransom provided in Christ.
3. It’s Recipient: “the men” = men as opposed to women. Not men generically as in Vs. 4 but men in contrast to women (Vs. 9).

The Qualification (Vs. 8b)

The Posture

1. Various postures in Scripture
   1. Kneeling
      1. Ps 95:6 “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.”
      2. Solomon (1 Kings 8:54)
      3. Leper (Mk 1:40)
      4. Daniel (Dan 6:10)
      5. Peter (Acts 9:40)
   2. Heads Bowed
   3. Prostrate (face to ground)
      1. Joshua after the conquest of Ai (Josh 7:6)
      2. David after God struck Bathsheba’s baby (2 Samuel 12:16,20)
      3. Christ in Gethsemane (Matt 26:39)
   4. Eyes downcast (Luke 18:13)
   5. Eyes towards heaven (Jn 17:11)
2. Uplifted hands
   1. Common posture in prayer amongst the Jews. Carried over into the church.
   2. David: “Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.” Psalm 28:2
   3. Solomon: “And Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:” 1 Kings 8:22
   4. A valid posture within the local assembly. Indicates humility and dependence. “Nothing in my hand I bring”

The Principle

1. ‘hands’
   1. Symbolic of daily life
   2. Used in most of our activities
2. ‘holy’
   1. Root word = not holiness of position but rather experience of life (Wuest)
   2. Means unpolluted and unstained by evil
   3. A life of strict separation from unholy things is necessary for an effectual prayer life.
   4. Psalm 24:3-5 “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hat not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation.”
   5. Isaiah 1:14-16 “Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil;”
   6. Leviticus 10:3 “Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.”
   7. Quote: “Are there chambers of the mind with unclean pictures hanging in them? Have we skeletons in the cupboards of our hearts? Can the Holy Ghost be invited to take us by the hand down the corridors of our souls? Are there not secret chambers where polluted things hold empire over the soul? There are three persons living in each of us: the one we think we are, the one other people think we are, and the one God knows we are.” “A Christian, dreaming before his television night by night, has a dead brain and a bankrupt soul.” Leonard Ravenhill (Why Revival Tarries Pg. 33 & 147)

The Attitude (Vs. 8c)

No wrath

1. Anger and frustration towards God
2. Angry, revengeful prayers
3. Anger harboured in the heart towards others

No doubts

1. ‘doubts’ – means disputations. Refers to inward turbulence and turmoil; thought contending with thought.
2. Faith, the essential requirement for effective prayer
3. James 1:5-7 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
4. Mark 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.”

Conclusion:

1. Are our lives polluted with sin, thus hindering our prayer lives?
2. Challenge to the men: Are we taking seriously our role in the local church in relation to prayer?

Sermon 8 of 27 in 1 Timothy Series

Sermon Audio Id: 83172021573