The 6^th Sunday After Trinity

SERMON

Text: 1 Timothy 2:1-7

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are 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 an apostle--I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.

In Christ Jesus, our Lord and Savior, dear fellow redeemed:

"Well, how are you doing today?" I would imagine that everyone here today has been asked that question more than once. Depending on who asks the question, you might well anticipate additional questions. If a long lost friend asks the question, you might expect that friend to go on and ask questions like, "How is your husband, or wife?" "How is your family?" If your doctor asks you that question, you might expect him or her to go on to ask, "Have you been sticking with that low-fat, low-cholesterol diet I recommended?" "Have you been exercising regularly?" If your pastor asks you that question, he might go on to ask, "Have you been reading your Bible regularly?" "How are your family devotions coming?" "How is your prayer life doing?"

It is concerning that last subject that I wish to speak to you today--your lives of prayer. I would imagine that all of us pray at meals and, perhaps, before we go to bed, during times of crisis and in order to express our thankfulness. I would imagine we pray about our personal needs, our family needs, and perhaps even our congregational and national needs. If, however, there is a weakness in most of our prayer lives, I would imagine that it would be this, that the scope of our prayers is much too narrow. Paul addresses that issue in our text today, and on the basis of these words I would encourage you, BRETHREN, LET US PRAY...

I.

Let us pray for all of mankind! Paul writes, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.” Notice how Paul immediately broadens the scope of our prayer life. We can and should pray for ourselves, our families, our friends, and acquaintances, but let us not limit our prayer to those few categories. Let us rather pray for all people!

As a student I remember being so impressed by Luther’s prayer life. It was said of Luther that he would pray for hours at a time. He maintained that, "Well prayed was half done!" I recall then attempting to spend more time praying, but thinking I had run out of things for which to pray. How could Luther pray for hours, I remember wondering? As I have matured I have added many more people and things to my prayer lists, but studying this text forced me to reexamine once again and broaden the scope of my prayers. I have not been, but need to begin praying “for all men!”

Why should we do this? Paul writes, “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.” That, in and of itself, should be enough to lead us to pray for all people. If it is some-thing pleasing to God, it should be pleasing and delightful to us. We are, after all, the bride of Christ. We should and do want to please Him. If an engaged couple here in this world were not interested pleasing each other, we would suggest such a relationship was destined for trouble. Even so, we are to fill our lives with those things that please our heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus.

Paul also writes, however, “God (who) desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Herein is to lie the focus of our prayers for all men--their eternal salvation. We can and should pray for the physical welfare of all people--that famines cease, that life is spared amid natural disasters, that peace reigns between nations. Yet, above and beyond those issues, our God has greater concerns and plans for human beings. In His love He sent His Son to save the world by His sacrifice. God wants all people to know of their forgiveness and to share in the blessed results of His Son’s redemptive work.

Consequently, let us expand our prayers with the salvation of souls specifically in mind. Let us pray for the souls of our friends and neighbors. Let us pray for those members of our community whom we do not know, asking that God might give us opportunities to share His Word with them. When we hear about Kosovo in the news, let us not simply shake our heads and suggest that those Albanians and Serbs should just get along. Rather, let us pray that the Spirit of God would open doors for Christians to bring a message of love and reconciliation to that war torn land. BRETHREN, LET US PRAY FOR ALL PEOPLE!

II.

Brethren, let us also pray for all in authority! Paul writes, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority.” The news that has come out of our nation’s capital in recent years has been dominated by scandal. As individual citizens of our country we may well question the integrity of our President, his opponents, or both. It is our responsibility as citizens to determine the facts and then vote in accordance with our consciences. As individual Christians, however, I would urge you not to spent your time complaining about our government, but rather in praying for those individuals who make up our government!

Paul, who was not dealing with a democratically elected government, urges us to pray for all who are in authority. Why? Paul writes, “That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” The purpose of government is to protect its citizenry. The government is to punish the evildoer and reward those who do good. Let us not simply complain when things go wrong, but rather let us pray that our leaders would conduct themselves with honesty and integrity. Let us thank God for the many blessings He has bestowed upon our country, not the least of which is the religious freedom we enjoy. Let us pray that God grant us the wisdom to conduct ourselves in such a way that we might use our freedoms wisely and in ways which will glorify our heavenly Father and benefit our fellow men. Yes, BRETHREN, LET US PRAY FOR ALL IN AUTHORITY!

III.

Brethren, let us finally pray for all appointed to preach! Paul writes, “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 am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying--a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.” Paul reminds us here that the message of Christ is something to which we are to testify. All of us, in view of the Great Commission, are to share the message of the gospel. Let us pray that God would give us a clear understanding and the necessary ability to share with others the truth that there is only one, true God and that there is only one means of eternal salvation--Jesus Christ!

Many years ago while serving in my first parish, I invited a young rancher to church. His ranch was bordered both on the north and south by member families. After this young man and his mother took instruction and joined the church, both members sheepishly stopped by to confess that they had never thought of asking their neighbor to church. They assumed that he and his mother had their church and would not be interested. Dear friends, let us never assume anything, but rather pray that God would fill us up with a love for Jesus, “who gave Himself a ransom for all!” Let us keep before our own eyes our personal salvation, for then the joy we know will be a joy we share!

Let us, however, also remember specific individuals and their gospel ministries. In a recent CLC Mission Newsletter we learned that our brethren in the Church of the Lutheran Confession of India are facing severe persecution. In fact, we have been informed that one senior pastor was beaten by a Hindu mob and later died. We have learned that Pastor Benjamin was hospitalized for two weeks after he also was beaten. Let us pray for these men, women, and children. May the Lord give them strength to persevere in the faith in spite of such great trials! Let us remember Missionary Koenig, Lawrence and Natalia Bade, and our former vicar, David Povolny, all of whom are presently serving their God in the mission fields of India. Let us pray that the Lord permit Pastor Bohde to return to Thailand. Let us pray for the young man from our Markesan congregation who has studied Russian and is returning to the seminary with the hope of being our first missionary to Russia. Yes, dear friends, let us pray for all those call by our Lord to dedicate their lives to the preaching and teaching ministries!

At our recent pastoral conference one of our retired pastors commented sadly that our CLC has not seen much growth during its forty years history. Could it be that in part this is because the scope of our prayer lives has been so limited. Jesus once said, “You have not, because you ask not.” Brethren, let us open our eyes and broaden the scope of our prayers--BRETHREN, LET US PRAY! Amen!

— Pastor Paul D. Nolting